Excavations at Thames Valley Park, Reading, 1986–88: Prehistoric & Romano-British Occupation of the Floodplain & a Terrace of the River Thames
I Barnes, C A. Butterworth, John W Hawkes & L Smith
Description
In 1986–88 evaluations and excavations were undertaken on the site of a proposed 47 ha business park development on the floodplain and terrace of the River Thames just east of Reading, Berkshire.
The evaluation confirmed the presence of a previously recorded Iron Age / Romano-British enclosure, and provided evidence of Mesolithic and Neolithic activity.
Excavations on the terrace recovered a Mesolithic flint scatter associated with a stream channel. The remains of a Beaker burial were found, accompanied by a flint knife and 18 barbed and tanged arrowheads.
The enclosure proved to be Middle Bronze Age in origin but saw intermittent use through to the Romano-British period. Outside it evidence of land divisions was recovered and three groups of cremation burials.
Further Mesolithic flintwork was recorded on the floodplain. A Late Neolithic pit produced Peterborough Ware pottery and a cluster of Late Iron Age / Romano-British features included post-holes of a probable rectangular structure and a series of pits.
A former river channel was extensively sampled for pollen and provided a detailed Palaeo-environmental sequence from the Late Devensian period to modern times. Animal bones included a semi-articulated Bos skeleton of Mesolithic date with butchery marks.
Details
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| Jan. 1, 1997 | Wessex Archaeology | 141 | 1-874350-22-1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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