204 



THE WILTSHIRE ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND NATURAL HISTORY MAGAZINE 



Phase and Feature type 



1 P 



1 L 



1 P 



1 P 



1 P 



1 P 



1 P 



2 O 



2 O 



2M 2 P 



Context 



3039 



3068 



3021 



3018 



3023 



3005 



3007 



4247 



4221 



4016,4235 



4038, 



4066 



Feature 



3037 



3083 



3020 



3016 



3022 



3004 



3006 



4214 



4007 



mid- 4234 

 den 



Sample no. 

 TAXA 



1 



2 



17 



18 



19 



20 



21 



8 



10 



11, 24 

 12,13 



Medicago sp. (medick) DGH 

 Montia fontana ssp. minor (blinks) Gd 

 Persicana maculosa Gray (redshank) 



CDo 



Plantago lanceolata L. (ribwort 

 plantain) Go 



Poaceae (indeterminate grass 

 caryopsis) CDG 

 Polygonum aviculare L. (knotgrass) 



CDo 



Ran unculus acris/bulbosus/repens 

 (buttercup) CDG 



Rumex acetosella L. (sheep's sorrel) 

 CEGa 



Rumex sp. (dock) CDG 

 Sambucus nigra L. (elder) DHSWn 

 Sherardia arvensis L. (field madder) AD 

 Spergula arvensis (corn spurrey) Aa 

 Trifolium/Lotus sp. (clover/trefoil) DG 

 Tripleurospermuminodorum (L.) 

 Schultz-Bip. (Scentless mayweed) CD 

 Vi'cja cf. cracca L. (cf. tufted vetch) GH 



1 



[1] 



Vicia/Lathyrus sp. (small-seeded vetch/tare) CDG 6 



1 



[1] 



13 



TOTAL 



124 9 



Sample volume (litres) 



1 1 



Frags per litre 



124 9 



Ratio of Grain : Chaff : Weeds 



1:4: 2 



82 [9] 416 316 273 268 [3] 1 



10 10 10 10 10 1 



8 [1] 42 32 27 27 [+] 1 



5:3: 1 9:7 : 1 1: 7 : 2 4 : 3: 1 2: 2: 1 



8[2 

 30 



Whole cereal grains are not frequently preserved 

 by mineralisation, so this single record is significant, 

 considering the small quantities of soil examined. 

 Three other types of plant remains were 

 recovered from two of the Phase 1 storage pits in 

 Area 1; Brassica/Sinapis sp, Chenopodiaceae 

 embryo and dock (Rumex sp.).The three taxa are 

 all commonly preserved by mineralisation, 

 particularly Brassica/Sinapis sp. embryos. They 

 often occur as sporadic finds in samples dating from 

 the Late Bronze Age onwards. They appear to be 

 fairly commonly found in Iron Age pits on 

 calcareous soils, e.g. Maiden Castle (Jones 1984); 

 Lains Farm (Carruthers 1991); Brighton Hill 

 South, Basingstoke (Carruthers 1995) This could 

 indicate the deposition of faecal waste in storage 

 pits that had fallen out of use, or represent 

 background waste such as animal dung that was 

 being trodden around the site. All of the taxa are 

 common weeds of waste grounds and cultivated 



land, particularly nutrient-rich soils. Brassica/ 

 Sinapis sp. seeds can also be used as a spice (e.g. 

 mustard) and for their oil. 



The Charred Plant Remains 



Charred plant remains were scarce in all of the Phase 

 2 Romano-British samples, including the two oven 

 backfills. A few cereal grains, a single emmer/spelt 

 wheat chaff fragment (glume base), a couple of 

 hazelnut shell fragments and a few weeds seeds were 

 recorded from the 6 samples. This scant evidence 

 confirms the cultivation of emmer/spelt wheat and 

 possibly a bread-type wheat (the grain was poorly 

 preserved) during this later phase of occupation. 

 Romano-British samples are often very rich in 

 charred crop processing waste, therefore, taking into 

 account the fact that the sample sizes and number 

 of samples were fairly small, the cereal-related 

 activities during this phase cannot have been very 

 intensive to have left such a small amount of waste. 



