Athelney Spillway, Lyng, Somerset - Archaeological Evaluation

Wessex Archaeology

The evaluation, which was undertaken on the 11–13 October 2023, comprised the excavation of five trenches measuring between 15 m and 35 m long, targeted on anomalies identified during a previous geophysical survey. The earliest human activity on the site is represented by Late Mesolithic/Early Neolithic struck flint, which was recovered from subsoil deposits and as residual material in later features. Later activity comprised a substantial ditch, two isolated postholes and an area of heat affected natural that may
indicate the position of a hearth or campfire. Although heat affected natural and the extent of alluvium in trench 1 roughly correlates with anomalies identified by the geophysical survey, this was not the case for the other geophysical anomalies. The geophysical survey is therefore not considered to be an accurate representation of the buried archaeological resource.

Some archaeological remains are present on the site, though the excavated features are widely spaced and likely represent peripheral elements of the documented settlements on Athelney Island. The relative paucity of features likely reflects the relatively low-lying nature of the spillway: the higher ground to the east and west being the preferred locations for settlement. The presence of Late Mesolithic/Early Neolithic flint is interesting, as this does not appear to have been previously noted on Athelney Island. The ditch in trench 2 is also noteworthy: it is a substantial feature, which broadly correlates with the line of a defensive Iron Age and Anglo-Saxon ditch that was uncovered at the western end of Athelney Island during the 2002 Time Team investigations.

Three tiny scraps of late prehistoric pottery provide some very tentative dating for this feature, though these are not considered to be a reliable dating evidence. Charcoal recovered from this ditch could potentially be radiocarbon dated. The other features are completely undated and could be related to any of the numerous phases of activity on Athelney Island between the prehistoric and post-medieval periods. Construction of the existing spillway has severely truncated the subsoil in this location, though it is possible that deeply cut features could survive within its footprint.