Monument record TQ 67 SW 1388 - Early Roman road leading to ritual pool, Springhead, Northfleet
Summary
Location
Grid reference | Centred TQ 6180 7258 (39m by 25m) |
---|---|
Map sheet | TQ67SW |
Civil Parish | GRAVESEND, GRAVESHAM, KENT |
County | KENT |
District | GRAVESHAM, KENT |
Map
Type and Period (3)
Full Description
Excavation in 2000-2002 found a short length of early Roman road that led directly into what is interpreted as a ritual pool. The bed of the pool was artificially cobbled with hard-packed layers of gravel. The road ran for c. 50m and extended c. 8m into the shallow water of the pool. The road was constructed within a shallow linear hollow which had been cut through a sequence of colluvial deposits of Bronze Age date. It was metalled and c. 4m wide, there is no evidence for later phases of metalling except for where the road extended into the Ebbsfleet and there is no evidence for any repairs having been made to the road, which appeared to be in good condition with only slight traces of wear. After 50m the road turned to the south west though its' route after this is unknown. Two ditches ran alongside the road. Both contained late 1st / early 2nd century pottery in their upper fills suggesting that the road went out of use in the late 1st century. Only a small quantity of undiagnostic pottery was recovered from the road surface. The road is thought to be the earliest Roman feature at Springhead. (1,2,3)
<1> Wessex Archaeology, 2004, Springhead Quarter Ebbsfleet, Kent: Archaeological Evaluation Report (Unpublished document). SKE12271.
<2> Wessex Archaeology, 2008, Archaeological Investigations at Springhead Quarter (Phase II), Northfleet, Kent: Archaeological Assessment Report and Updated Project design (Unpublished document). SKE17943.
<3> Oxford Wessex Archaeology Joint Venture, 2010, Settling the Ebbsfleet Valley. CTRL Excavations at Springhead and Northfleet, Kent. The Late Iron Age, Roman, Saxon, and Medieval Landscape (Monograph). SKE31245.
Sources/Archives (3)
- <1> SKE12271 Unpublished document: Wessex Archaeology. 2004. Springhead Quarter Ebbsfleet, Kent: Archaeological Evaluation Report.
- <2> SKE17943 Unpublished document: Wessex Archaeology. 2008. Archaeological Investigations at Springhead Quarter (Phase II), Northfleet, Kent: Archaeological Assessment Report and Updated Project design.
- <3>XY SKE31245 Monograph: Oxford Wessex Archaeology Joint Venture. 2010. Settling the Ebbsfleet Valley. CTRL Excavations at Springhead and Northfleet, Kent. The Late Iron Age, Roman, Saxon, and Medieval Landscape. [Mapped feature: #4591 Roman road, ]
Finds (1)
Protected Status/Designation
- None recorded
Related Monuments/Buildings (6)
- Parent of: Early Roman hearth and possible associated structural feature, Springhead (Monument) (TQ 67 SW 1573)
- Parent of: Early Roman pit, Springhead (Monument) (TQ 67 SW 1572)
- Parent of: Possible early Roman cenotaph, Springhead (Monument) (TQ 67 SW 1571)
- Parent of: Possible enclosure ditch with early Roman date, Springhead (Monument) (TQ 67 SW 1569)
- Parent of: Six early Roman burials, Springhead, Northfleet (Monument) (TQ 67 SW 1389)
- Part of: Approximate location of springs and ritual pool in early Roman period, Springhead, Northfleet (Monument) (TQ 67 SW 323)
Related Events/Activities (15)
- Event Boundary: Evaluation at Springhead Quarter, Northfleet (Ref: 54924.01) (EKE8578)
- Event Boundary: Excavation of two areas at Springhead Quarter (Phase II), Northfleet (Ref: 58847.02) (EKE12369)
- Intrusive Event: Excavation of two areas at Springhead Quarter (Phase II), Northfleet (Ref: 58847.02) (EKE18677)
- Event Boundary: Strip, map and sample, excavation work and watching brief at Springhead Roman Town, carried out during CTRL works (Ref: ARC SPH00) (EKE8575)
- Event Boundary: Test-pitting evaluation at Springhead Quarter, Northfleet (Ref: 54924.01) (EKE18653)
- Intrusive Event: Test-pitting evaluation at Springhead Quarter, Northfleet: Test-pit 1113 (Ref: 54924.01) (EKE18666)
- Intrusive Event: Test-pitting evaluation at Springhead Quarter, Northfleet: Test-pit 1115 (Ref: 54924.01) (EKE18661)
- Intrusive Event: Test-pitting evaluation at Springhead Quarter, Northfleet: Test-pit 1116 (Ref: 54924.01) (EKE18662)
- Intrusive Event: Test-pitting evaluation at Springhead Quarter, Northfleet: Test-pit 1117 (Ref: 54924.01) (EKE18664)
- Intrusive Event: Test-pitting evaluation at Springhead Quarter, Northfleet: Test-pit 1118 (Ref: 54924.01) (EKE18665)
- Intrusive Event: Test-pitting evaluation at Springhead Quarter, Northfleet: Test-pit 1119 (Ref: 54924.01) (EKE18654)
- Intrusive Event: Test-pitting evaluation at Springhead Quarter, Northfleet: Test-pit 1120 (Ref: 54924.01) (EKE18655)
- Intrusive Event: Test-pitting evaluation at Springhead Quarter, Northfleet: Test-pit 1121 (Ref: 54924.01) (EKE18656)
- Intrusive Event: Test-pitting evaluation at Springhead Quarter, Northfleet: Test-pit 1122 (Ref: 54924.01) (EKE18657)
- Intrusive Event: Watching Brief at Springhead Roman Town, carried out during CTRL works (Ref: ARC SPH00) (EKE8576)
Record last edited
Jul 9 2020 7:57PM