A Neolithic causewayed enclosure and other exciting discoveries at Thame, Oxfordshire

Cotswold Archaeology ^ | unattributed

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At the end of August, Oxford Cotswold Archaeology (a joint venture between Oxford Archaeology and Cotswold Archaeology) completed the excavation of a site on the edge of Thame in Oxfordshire. The work was carried out in advance of new housing being built by Bloor Homes...

Later in the Neolithic, a small henge monument was constructed within the causewayed enclosure. A second, smaller, ring-ditch was located close to the henge and this may also be of later Neolithic date.

During the Bronze Age, the site saw virtually no activity or, at least, no activity which left a mark in the archaeological record. However, it is entirely possible that the site continued to play an important role in the lives of local communities.

It was not until the early Iron Age that a settlement was built at the site, albeit largely on lower ground away from the causewayed enclosure. The remains of a substantial enclosure, roundhouses, clusters of pits and a number of granaries attest to the site’s use during this period.

During the Roman period a number of trackways were built, leading to the higher ground occupied by the causewayed enclosure. A series of enclosures were constructed off the trackways and these were adapted and modified to suit the needs of the occupants throughout the Roman period. Within the enclosures, at least six corn-drying ovens, along with a number of circular ovens and hearths, were built. Little evidence for substantial building has been found and it is likely that the site was an important centre for processing agricultural produce from the surrounding area throughout the period.

Following the end of the Roman period, the site was once again used for settlement... Eleven sunken-featured buildings, dating to the 6th-7th century AD, were found...

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