Middle Bronze Age to Middle Iron Age Settlement at New Road, Greenham, West Berkshire

The excavation revealed an extensive spread of archaeological deposits, the limits of which were not reached. The majority of the features are of Earlier to Middle Iron Age date with a few deposits assigned to the Early Bronze Age, Middle Bronze Age, Roman and Medieval periods. Despite the proximity of the site next to the village of Greenham recorded in the Domesday Book, no Anglo-Saxon deposits were recorded and Medieval activity was restricted to a number of field boundaries. A cremation burial in a Collared Urn was the only certain Bronze Age feature. The Middle Bronze Age activity largely comprised a rarely encountered 'L-shaped' enclosure. The earlier Iron Age occupation initially comprised a dispersed open settlement with several post-built roundhouses, fence lines, 'four-post' structures and numerous discrete posthole and pit features. The settlement evolved into a Middle Iron Age settlement but now consisting of an enclosure with ring gully roundhouses within. The small number of Roman features recorded included a single cremation burial of 2nd/3rd century date and possibly a rectangular building. The chronology of the site is supported by seven radiocarbon dates. See more