Excavations on the Norwich Southern Bypass, 1989-91. Part 1. Excavations at Bixley, Caistor St. Edmund, Trowse, Cringleford and Little Melton

With contributions from Helen M. Bamford, Peter Murphy, Sarah Percival, Sue Anderson, Elisabeth Crowfoot, John A. Davies, David Gurney, Stephen Kemp, Andrew J. Lawson, Donald Mackreth, Sue Margeson, Simon Mays and Peter Robins. A synthesis of the results of a major series of excavations and watching briefs is offered in this volume, in which a series of six discrete excavation reports is followed by single chapters presenting environmental information and a concluding discussion. A series of three cropmark ring-ditches dating to the 3rd/2nd millennia BC were excavated at Bixley. At Harford Farm, Caistor St. Edmund, five more ring-ditches were excavated, along with evidence of Middle Iron Age occupation, an intriguing series of square-ditched enclosures probably of Late Iron Age date, and an important Middle Saxon cemetery. Prehistoric occupation sites were excavated at Valley Belt, Trowse; at the Frettenham Lime Co. Quarry and at Markshall, Caistor St. Edmund — that at Trowse comprising Early/Middle Iron Age pits, four-post structures and enclosure boundaries, and an important pottery assemblage. Outstanding prehistoric finds from the watching briefs included a dump of later Bronze Age pottery possibly representing kiln waste, and a hoard of three socketed axes dating to the earlier 1st millennium BC. The concluding discussion assesses the results in the context of previous research nearby, notably at the Arminghall Henge and at Roman Venta Icenorum (Caistor St. Edmund).