Location of Area 12AE in relation to the rest of the settlement

Site 12 Area AE

Area 0.075 hectares Excavated 1995

Discussion

The area was excavated mostly during August 1995, with the final excavation completed during December of that year. Because of time constraints, a number of the features in this area did not have their sections drawn, although all were planned and recorded as usual.

The underlying geology was chalk, although a thin layer of hillwash (22 metres long by 8 metres wide) was located Elevated view of Area 12AE from the east in the central western part of the area. A number of features were clearly visible following the machine stripping, including the southernmost extent of the settlement boundary ditches and an unusual north-south oriented feature situated in the eastern part of the area. Although it was evident that two posthole structures were also present, the actual visibility of the post holes on the ground was poor, particularly for the southernmost (012AE00062) structure, which was partially cut into the layer of hillwash. The position of the post holes became much more obvious shortly after rain, when differential drying of the material within the post hole and the surrounding subsoil gave a very clear picture of their location.

In addition, the high High reolution geophysics over Area 12AE resolution geophysics over this area gave additional information on the location of the post hole structures.