Communities of the Isle, c. 4000 BC to AD 1900 - Excavations at North- West Ely, Cambridgeshire: Fields D, E, G and I

Between December 2016 and February 2022, Oxford Archaeology undertook five separate mitigation excavations across a c. 73.5ha area in the north-west of Ely, Cambridgeshire, in advance of residential development. This phase of work followed from a geophysical survey, a trial trench evaluation, and an additional stage of excavation in the south-east of the site (north of Cam Drive, reported on separately). The investigation revealed an extensive range of archaeological features, deposits, and finds which attest to activity at the site from the Late Mesolithic to modern periods. The earliest evidence comprised a single Late Mesolithic microlith alongside a small number of Late Mesolithic to Early Neolithic struck flints, recovered from later features. These finds - in conjunction with a small assemblage of more characteristically Early Neolithic struck flints and several discrete Early Neolithic features in the south-east of the site - probably indicate that short-lived, task focussed visitations occurred between the 7th to mid 4th millennia BC. A small number of Early Bronze Age pits were recorded, along with a discrete area of Middle Bronze Age settlement in the north-east of the site (comprising discrete pits and a large quantity of residual pottery), which complemented a significant area of contemporary settlement (Settlement 1) excavated previously at Cam Drive in the south-east of the development parcel. The former, north-western area, continued to be occupied into the Late Bronze Age, with a structure, a waterhole, groups of pits, and a single unurned cremation recorded (Settlement 2). Early Iron Age occupation was concentrated towards the centre of the site, where discrete features relating to an unenclosed settlement complex were revealed (Settlement 3). Activity in this location continued into the Middle Iron Age, with a distinct transitional phase identified. The Middle Iron Age settlement was enclosed by a large boundary that encircled the most elevated part of the site and from which several smaller enclosures extended, some containing roundhouses. In the Late Iron Age, this area developed some funerary significance, with three inhumation burials recorded. Occupation in this period appears to have shifted to the south-east of the development area, where a roundhouse, a probable animal pen, and several boundary ditches were identified (Settlement 4). The Late Iron Age activity in Settlement 4 in the south-east of the site appeared to have continued into the Early Romano-British period, with a possible short hiatus in activity around the time of the Roman Conquest. Here, the southern edge of a farmstead was recorded, extending under King Edgar Close to the north. An enigmatic Early Romano-British grave which contained five individuals was also recorded in this area. One of the most significant features revealed during excavation was Roman Akeman Street, which extended between Cambridge and Littleport. It traversed through the centre of the site and was defined by a pair of parallel bounding ditches. Evidence suggests that it was probably established in the second half of the 1st century AD. Around the same time, a wide ranging field system comprising enclosures and planting trenches was established to the east of the road, with a small farmstead and an associated field system established to its west (Settlement 5), nestled within the relic earthworks of the Middle Iron Age settlement. Two isolated Early Romano-British cremations were also recorded in the northern half of the site. A small number of Middle and Late Romano-British features were identified, indicating a continuation of activity but at a substantially reduced level. These included two cremations interred along Akeman Street and a small area of activity in the south-east of the site.