EXCAVATION AND FIELDWORK IN WILTSHIRE 2002 301 
prehistoric pottery. Colluvial hillwash containing 
worked flint was also identified in the ‘paddock’, an 
area previously uninvestigated. 
Ashton Keynes (and Somerford 
Keynes, Gloucestershire) 
Cotswold Community (SU 033 963); Prehistoric— 
Medieval 
The excavations at Cotswold Community 2002 and 
2003 in advance of gravel extraction at the Hill’s 
Minerals and Waste’s quarry is revealing an 
important multi-period landscape. Archaeological 
features from the Neolithic to the medieval period 
have been recovered. During the 2002 fieldwork, 
Neolithic pits containing flint tools (including 
several axes) and Peterborough and Grooved Ware 
pottery were dotted across the site. Also scattered 
across the site were pits and burials dated to the late 
Neolithic — early Bronze Age period. From these 
features came flint tools and comb decorated Beaker 
pottery (including two nearly complete Beaker 
vessels and a wrist guard from inhumations). These 
features are important because the early prehistoric 
era in this area is poorly represented. The Neolithic 
and early Bronze Age activity found across the 
landscape may represent evidence of land clearance, 
markers or possibly a funerary landscape, especially 
as three Beaker burials were also located on this site. 
These excavations also uncovered a substantial early 
Iron Age settlement that was well organised into 
areas with circular post-built and square to 
rectangular structures. Settlement patterns of this 
period have not been seen on this site before, and 
this fills in the missing gap between the middle 
Bronze Age and middle Iron Age settlements 
located in previous excavations. Further sections of 
Roman trackways, seen in previous fieldwork, were 
excavated and would have served as communication 
links between associated field systems and rural 
communities such as the Romano-British farmstead 
currently under excavation this year. Excavations 
this year have uncovered a dense and complicated 
web of archaeological remains, rather more than 
expected from the air photography and evaluation. 
Already two small Roman cemeteries have been 
exposed, one of which is truncating a ring ditch. 
Also of particular interest is a possible squarish 
Roman shrine situated close to a_ trackway. 
Evidence of middle to late Iron Age remains, 
possible Roman stone structures (such as corn 
dryers and a well) are under investigation. As 
expected, a pit alignment made up of a double row 
of pits has made a reappearance after having been 
recorded during fieldwork carried out in 1999. This 
feature is thought to be late Bronze Age to early Iron 
Age in date, consisting of 280 pits, avoids a ring ditch 
and snakes across the top half of the site. An ‘L- 
shaped ditch, yet to be excavated, may be associated 
with circular post-built structures, fences, pits and 
waterholes situated within the vicinity. 
Avebury 
Avebury Park (SU 099 701); Medieval and Undated 
Observation by Michael Heaton and Bill Moffatt 
during construction of new sewerage across 
Avebury Park indicates that earthworks north of 
Avebury Manor are not based upon interpretable 
structural deposits. The platforms that are clearly 
visible on the surface represent localised 
enhancement of subsoils, nonetheless likely to have 
been cultural in origin. Within the car park area to 
the west (behind the great Barn), is a group of 
north-south aligned ditches, gulleys and banks, 
intensively intercut and disturbed by modern 
features. Dating evidence is limited to medieval 
pottery in the upper layers sealing these features; 
they could be prehistoric, Roman or medieval in 
date. Though apparently lacking in dating 
evidence, this group of features is varied in deposit 
type, well stratified and sealed and of high 
archaeological potential. 
Avebury 
Beckhampton Avenue, (SU 087 690); Prehistoric 
In March 2002 a magnetometer and earth resistance 
survey were conducted by the geophysical survey 
team from the Centre for Archaeology in an area to 
the south of Longstones long barrow, 
Beckhampton, Avebury, in attempt to further locate 
the line of the Beckhampton Avenue south of the 
standing stones, Adam and Eve. Unfortunately 
there appeared to be no obvious trace of buried 
stones or burning pits in this area, a fact later 
confirmed by excavation. 
Avebury 
Falkner’s circle (SU 109 693); Prehistoric 
In March and May of 2002, geophysical surveys 
were conducted by the geophysical survey team 
from the Centre for Archaeology around a standing 
stone believed to be the last remnant of Falkner’s 
Circle, near Avebury, Wiltshire. Several discrete 
anomalies lying on an are approximately 44m in 
diameter were identified and found, when 
excavated in the summer of 2002, to be either post- 
medieval destruction pits or possible stone sockets. 
