Recent Fieldwork - Warblington 2012







In September 2012 Chichester and District Archaeology Society (CDAS) conducted a two week excavation on the site of the Warblington Roman villa complex, which is located within the Chichester Harbour Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. This excavation is the follows the initial excavation on of the villa itself in 2010. The excavation was directed by James Kenny, Chichester District Council Archaeologist, acting in a private capacity as a member of the society.

This year the focus on a series of responses on the geophys survey showing what looked like an aisled building.

We found:

  • A series of post holes in two rows.
  • A substantial wall on the eastern side of the barn
  • The estimated width of the structures was compatible with the dimensions for similar buildings reported in the literature – mainly by Barry Cunliffe.
  • Under the barn, the Late Iron Age ditch was discovered and it produced a part of the rim of a Dressel 1B amphora. The rim profile determines the type of the amphora, and we know it was manufactured in Naples between 90 BC and 10BC. Originally it would have contained wine. This is a rare find and indicates high status activity on the site in the Late Iron Age.
  • However, there is a gap in the pottery sequence that means we cannot prove that the Late Iron age activity continued into the Roman period.

This excavation, like others in previous and subsequent years was generously supported by the Chichester Harbour Conservancy Sustainable Development Fund.

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