More information : SU 950781. A Neolithic causewayed enclosure was discovered at Eton Wick following the examination of an aerial photograph in 1976. A trial trench in 1984 discovered a Late Bronze Age - Early Iron Age ditch. A second trench in 1985 revealed a ditch terminal containing neolithic pottery, 950 struck flints, an antler comb and animal bones. (1)
Additional bibliography. (2,3,4)
The following features were mapped from good quality air photographs and small scale excavation (6):-
Possible Neolithic causewayed enclosure, seen as cropmarks. Morphological description: interrupted, parallel linear features, each defined by 2 ditches with a maximum length of 170m. Centred at:-SU 9503 7812. Additional NGRs: SU 9499 7812 (Morph No. TG.545.1.1). The research excavations in 1984-5 on this enclosure produced Ebbsfleet Ware,flints, animal bone and an antler comb. 3 C14 dates (2800 +/- 80 b.c., 2730 +/- 110 b.c., 2730 +/- 50 b.c.).(6)
Possible ditch of unknown date, seen as cropmarks. Morphological description: a discontinuous, single linear feature, defined by 1ditch with a maximum length of 40m. Centred at:-SU 9503 7810. Additional NGRs: SU 9506 7822 (Morph No. TG.545.8.1). This ditch may be the Late Bronze Age/Early Iron Age ditch excavated in 1984. This description is based on data from the RCHME MORPH2 database. (5)
The Neolithic causewayed enclosure described by the previous authorities was plotted at 1:2,500 scale in September 1996 by Aerial Survey staff of RCHME as part of the Industry and Enclosure in the Neolithic Project. Only the south-eastern side of the enclosure is visible as a cropmark and this is obscured in places by overlapping features which are probably later in date. The enclosure comprises a curved, segmented ditch, 100m long, centred at SU 9496 7807 and a second segmented ditch, 200m long, between 30-40m to the east at SU 9503 7809. A very faint cropmark 10m to the east of the outer ditch may be the remains of a third ditch circuit. A continuous ditch lies between the two outer segmented ditches and this has been dated to the later Bronze Age/early Iron Age. (7)
Fieldwalking and trial trenching in 1984-5 confirmed the Neolithic dating of the causewayed enclosure, with other features belonging to the Late Bronze Age/Early Iron Age and to the Late Iron Age. Artefacts recovered were primarily lithic and ceramic in nature. Three radiocarbon dates from bone samples in Neolithic contexts, when calibrated, have ranges which span the period 3771-3100 Cal BC. (8)
Additional reference. (9)
Recent research into the radiocarbon dating of causewayed enclosures suggests that the construction of the inner ditch probably occurred in 3520-3455 cal BC. (10) |