Monument record TR 26 NE 1280 - Middle-Late Bronze Age enclosure and possible structure - Plateau 5, Thanet Earth

An enclosure or possible field was situated near the centre of Plateau 5 on virtually the highest part of the entire site. It extended south and west of occupation Enclosure 1 and seemed to encapsulate it in its north-east corner; it is assumed here to be the earlier feature, although there is no reason to suppose that both enclosures were not contemporary. Only its east and south sides were well defined, other alignments possibly truncated in antiquity, with just a fragmented suggestion of its western side delineated by ditch segments which formed a rough rectangle aligned north-east to south-west and about 90m by 50m in area internally. The ditches were all similar in shape and contained small amounts of worked flint and pottery. Apart from traces of daub, carbon and burnt flint, these yielded little in the way of dating evidence. The pottery was of middle Bronze and mid to late Bronze Age date. A possible ritual deposit of a fragmented mid to late Bronze Age pottery vessel (73 sherds) in association with a high concentration of carbon was located within the south-west terminal of ditch. About 20m north of the southern end of the enclosure, a near parallel ditch segment possibly represents an internal partition of the larger space or part of a field in its own right. The southern terminal of the northern ditch contained greater concentrations of sea shell, charcoal, animal bone and a few struck flint flakes. The nature of the artefactual and ecofactual assemblage suggests deliberate infill, either as rubbish disposal or perhaps ritual deposition. This ditch had steep sides and it may have had a more specific function possibly associated with occupation of the area. The enclosure appears to be related topographically to the surrounding arrangement of fields and droves.

Most of the internal area of Enclosure 2 was featureless perhaps indicating it was a related paddock rather than an occupied area. Nevertheless, there was a concentration of possible structural features in the south-east corner and a thin scatter of pits and other possible structures in its immediate area. The structure consisted of a group of nine postholes that made a rough 'U'-shape, opening to the west in plan; this measured 4.1m north-south and c. 3m east-west. The main alignment was made up of seven sub-circular postholes that were all of a similar shape and size.

In the north-east corner of the enclosure, four irregular sub-oval pits which were all of a similar shape and size in plan, may represent the fragmented terminus of the enclosure ditch. All, apart from S5359 which yielded some early Bronze Age pottery, contained similar sterile fills of silt clay. These features were located adjacent to one another aligned north-east to south-west in line with the eastern side of the enclosure. (1) (information summarised from source)

<1> Canterbury Archaeological Trust, 2023, Beneath the Seamark: 6000 Years of an Islands History (Monograph). SKE55405.