The Roman Road from Winchester to London has been surveyed as far as the Hogs Back near Farnham. Far more field boundaries parallel and right angle to this road than chance indicate the remains of a Roman field system. In Italy, southern France, and north Africa if the estates were large a grid of estate roads were provided. Such a grid has been found from Four Marks to near Winchester. Three of these estate roads have been surveyed, and excavations occurring on them, see map of these. A GPS survey is planned to determine how accurately two parallel surveyed roads were laid out.
Excavations in 2011 were on these estate roads. The westerly site on the above map completed what was intended. It was more substantial than expected. Post excavation work showed there was an initial 25' terrace metalled with crushed flint topped with chalk. To the N was a packed flint agger 13' wide and 20" thick, on the edge of a large depression. It is thought these were added later, and we will return in August to investigate them further. See Excavation Report
On the easterly dig site work over last winter had established a line of evidence from the Zig Zag, and excavation started over air photo streaks of a light line bounded by dark lines. The southern dark line was found to be a ditch, unusually 2m wide and 70cms deep. Work will continue this year. There are two other features here, parallel to the line from the Zig Zag. One has been excavated and the post excavation work completed. It turns out to be a ditch, half a Roman Actus wide (60 Roman feet), cut down into the natural clay 30 - 40 cms, and silted up with several layers of subsoil. On the edges of the ditch are two narrow lightly metalled lanes of 10.2 Roman feet wide each. This ditch shows as a dark air photo line bounded by light lines running from the summit of the downs, down a valley in Chawton Park Wood for half a mile - it may connect with the Zig Zag by a causeway. Last Easter it was plainly visible in the young crop in the field to the west of Chawton Park Wood as two swellings over the metalled lanes with a depression between, and surveyed for 80m. It had previously been captured on a photo: http://www.nehhas.org.uk/pxro09.htm. It is not at present understood what purpose this feature served. There is a third parallel feature 2 Actus south of the ditch, which originally was thought to be the Roman Road, which runs as a terrace through Chawton Park Wood. This will be investigated later.
Roman Road Excavations 2012 will take place over Bank Holiday Weekends from April to August between Alton and Alresford in Hants on these two estate roads.
A training course of five modules will be available during these weekends. They cover: Site Layout and Recording, Excavation, Surveying, Finds Processing, Geophysics and new Roman Road methods. They consist of instruction and exercises.
Reports and publications are available.
Experienced and novice excavators welcome. Further details contact
Dr Richard Whaley,
Field Works & School Director, 2 Rotherwick Court, Alexandra Road, Farnborough GU14 6DD, 01252 548115 (SEA appreciated), or
visit the dig online Information and Booking Form