EDO4110 - Alington Avenue, Fordington, Dorchester; evaluation (Trench G)

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Location

Grid reference Centred SY 70138 89930 (5m by 48m)
Map sheet SY78NW
Civil Parish Dorchester; Dorset
Unitary Authority Dorset

Technique(s)

Organisation

Wessex Archaeology

Date

November 1984

Description

Wessex Archaeology carried out an evaluation of a Site proposed for housing development in November 1984. The development area lies on a gentle ridge between the Roman Town of Durnovaria and Mt. Pleasant, 1km SE of the Roman Town, on the south side of Alington Avenue, east of Fordington Farm. A total of nine evaluation trenches were excavated down to chalk bedrock with a 2m toothless bucket. The total area excavated was 800 square metres spread evenly across the 3.46 ha. field. Trench G , sited at the west end of the site and aligned approximately N-S, showed a series of ancient field terraces in section. Below this terrace erosion was a single most interseting feature; a ditch, 2m wide, 1.5m deep, with near vertical sides, containing a trussed inhumation. Worked flint debitage, perhaps from as few as four cores, and one hammerstone were recovered from the fill, no tools or retouched flakes were present. This all suggests a neolithic date for the ditch, and an association with ritual activity.

Sources/Archives (3)

  • --- Unpublished document: Heaton, M J, Davies, S M and Woodward, P J. 1984. Excavations at Alington Avenue. An archaeological survey and evaluation..
  • --- Article in serial: Davies, S M, Stacey, L C and Woodward, P J. 1985. Excavations at Alington Avenue, Fordington, Dorchester, 1984/85: Interim report. 107. 101.
  • --- Monograph: Davies, S M, Bellamy, P S , Heaton, M J , and Woodward, P J. 2002. Excavations at Alington Avenue, Fordington, Dorchester, Dorset, 1984-87.

Map

Record last edited

Mar 7 2017 12:29PM

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