Pegswood Moor, Morpeth: A Later Iron Age and Romano-British Farmstead Settlement

Description

Pegswood Moor Farm lies on the Northumberland Coastal Plain in an area which until relatively recently was thought to have been sparsely occupied during later prehistory. However, as this publication clearly demonstrates, this area was as densely settled in these periods as any other part of the region. Sporadic visiting of the site occurred from the Mesolithic/early Neolithic into the Bronze Age, but significant habitation commenced at the site in the Later Iron Age when a small unenclosed farmstead was established. The site was succeeded by occupation on a much larger scale, with associated field systems, stock enclosures, smaller stockyards and a droveway were identified. The final phase of occupation recorded at the site was characterised by the construction of a rectilinear timber enclosure, and associated field system built over the remains of the preceding habitation area, in places directly through the middle of earlier dwellings. Occupation continued only until the 2nd century AD, however, when the area reverted to moorland. It remained as such into the post-medieval period when it came into agricultural use. This volume is the first of these recently excavated sites to be published in detail, presenting the archaeological, finds and environmental evidence, with a concluding chapter, which places the Pegswood settlement in a much broader regional context. Contributors Foreword Figures Tables Summary Acknowledgements Chapter 1. Introduction Planning Background Methodology Results of the Investigation Geology and Topography Archaeological and Historical Background Chapter 2. The Archaeological Remains Phase 1: Natural Sub-Stratum Phase 2: Earlier Prehistoric Phase 3: Unenclosed Later Iron Age Settlement Phase 4: Enclosed Later Iron Age Settlement Phase 5: 1st- to 2nd-Century AD Romano-British Activity Chapter 3. Specialist Reports Lithics Pottery Briquetage Residues from Activities Involving Heat Quernstones and Other Stone Objects Glass Objects Palaeoenvironmental Remains Animal Bone Chapter 4. Discussion Development and Form of the Settlement The Social Landscape Roundhouse Structures The Economy of the Settlement Manufacturing, Processing and Trade Ritual Activity The Settlement in its Regional and Wider Setting Concluding Remarks French and German Summaries Bibliography Index