Roman and Early Medieval Crickley Hill: Grass tempered pottery

Wednesday 19 November 2008

Grass tempered pottery

For Dark Age enthusiasts, I've posted pics of the rather enigmatic grass-tempered pot - is it 'Saxon'? Is it 'British'? Does it have any ethnic sugnificance at all? What is its economic role? What is its date? These questions have puzzled students of the 'Dark Ages' for some time now, so I'd like to hear from anyone doing reserach in this field.

This particular sherd looks very similar to the one sherd from 'British' sites that I've been able to come in close contact with in my search for comaprisons (from Cad Cong, pinned to the the wall of Bristol Museum). The Crickley e.g. has mica-rich fabric, and was not found within the 'lower-status' settlement. I'm wondering if this fabric was seen as elite?

Other sherds are (according to Alan V) of macroscopically different fabric to the sherds from 'Anglo-Saxon' sites, though thier globular form is perhaps more 'barbaric' that RB forms. This pot (there were at least 2 of this type) has a leathery surface - quite tactile, in fact!

So, how does this compare with GT from AS sites? I've only really been able to access later wares from the region, which were much harder fired and often sandy, though I'd be interested to hear about earlier local finds.

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LPRIA, Roman and Early Medieval Crickley: Summary

Crickley Hill is an Iron Age hillfort in Gloucestershire that, like many in the west, probably had some late pre-Roman Iron Age activity after a period of abandonment, with sporadic activity during the early Roman period. It was perhaps during this time that occasional buildings were built on the top of the silted-up rampart ditches, and near to the main rampart entrance, although these structures alternatively belong to the later Roman period. A prehistoric ritual monument on the site - the 'Long Mound' - received votive deposits during the Roman period. There was also a possible rectangular Roman masonry structure near the western end of the hill.

During the later Roman period (or possibly during the early 5th century), the hill was once again occupied, perhaps initially within the entrance for industrial activity (although again, this may belong to the earlier Roman phase). A village was built behind the rampart, mainly consisting of 'scooped' buildings arranged in rows; there was also evidence for industrial activity in this area. Buildings were sub-rectangular and sub-circular (perhaps in some cases, polygonal), and would perhaps have been built of cob or turf, with low thatch or turf roofs, and were only single roomed, although perhaps had some form of partition in one case.

On the western end of the hill, a second, probably contemporaneous, settlement was built. This settlement was enclosed by a palisade fence (which perhaps had a 'guard-house' at the entrance), and contained a granary (itself enclosed within a separate fence), suggesting its higher status. The buildings of this settlement were more substantial, and probably timber-framed (sitting directly on the ground-surface), or post-built, resting upon post-pads. They were mainly circular, although the central building was rectangular, and partitioned. This building had a substantial hearth, as well as a number of cooking pits nexts to the front walls.

At some point during or after the Roman period, a monument was built on the north-west terrace of the hill - a scaled-down version of the Long Mound (hence known as the 'Short Mound'). Strangely, the buried features of the Long Mound were replicated. The Short Mound didn't receive votive deposits during the Roman period (perhaps suggesting its later date), and therefore dating is difficult. However, it was stratified over the LPRIA path down the tip of the hill to the Vale, upon which and embedded within was a near-complete local grey ware bowl, imitating BB1, giving an early Roman TPQ (although the bowl may even date to the 5th century). Near to this mound was a structure, possibly associated with worn later Roman ceramics.

Both settlements were burnt down, and re-built to similar plans to, and nearby, the earlier buildings. However, they were burnt down again, and the settlement abandoned. After a period of abandoment, sporadic finds indicate activity in the mid Saxon period.

Publication of research

Previous publications about Crickley include:

Dixon, P.W 1970 Excavations at Crickley Hill: Interim Report, 1970 (Gloucester College Monographs)

Dixon, P.W 1971 Excavations at Crickley Hill: Interim Report, 1971 (Gloucester College Monographs)

Dixon, P.W 1976 ‘Crickley Hill 1969-1972’ in Harding D.W. 1976 (ed.) 1976, Hillforts: Late Prehistoric earth works in Britain and Ireland London Academic Press, pp 162-176

Dixon, P.W 1988 ‘Crickley Hill 1969-1987’ in Current Archaeology 110, 73-78

Dixon, P.W. 1994 Crickley Hill: The Hill-Fort Defences University of Nottingham

Parry, Charles 1994 Crickley Hill Country Park, Badgeworth / Coberley, Gloucestershire. An Archaeological Survey English Heritage, Gloucester C.C., National Trust

Savage, Richard 1988 Village, Fortress, Shrine Crickley Hill Gloucestershire 3500BC- AD 500 Cheltenham

Vol. 6 of the Crickley Hill reports, covering the Roman & Early Medieval phase, is currently in preparation. Contact me if you require interim information on this phase of the site, and I'll do what I can to provide this. Although under major revision, I have already presented much of my research as an MA: Jarrett, K 1999, The Late / post-Roman Settlement at Crickley Hill, Gloucestershire, University of Nottingham. If a summary is required, contact me for details.