Cite this as: Savine, B. and Coates, T. et al. 2026 Late Iron Age/Romano-British Transition Pastoral Activity in the Western Environs of York: Archaeological investigations at the A1237/B1224, Wetherby Road Roundabout, York, Internet Archaeology 71. https://doi.org/10.11141/ia.71.9
The recovery of a small lithic assemblage from excavations during improvements to the A1237/B1224, Wetherby Road roundabout, York, demonstrate that the area was being exploited, at least in a limited way, as early as the Neolithic. The earliest feature was defined as such by its stratigraphic relationship with a pit radiocarbon dated to the Bronze Age, and from which a rubber-stone for a saddle quern was recovered. Activity at the site had intensified by the Late Iron Age, at which time a pastoral landscape had become established with open ground or grassland subdivided by ditched enclosures and hedgerows. It has been possible to detail local conditions from a suite of environmental evidence captured in a series of large, waterlogged pits, interpreted as watering holes for livestock. The continued exploitation of a spring accessed by these features is evident from maintenance of the watering holes during the transition to the Romano-British period. However, by the mid-Roman period the watering holes had silted up and fallen out of use.
Corresponding author: Benjamin Savine
[email protected]
York Archaeology
Illustrations by B. Price unless otherwise stated.
Figure 1: Site location
Figure 2: Plan of Areas 1–4
Figure 3: Plan of archaeological features in Areas 1 and 3
Figure 4: Phase 2 features
Figure 5: Pit fill (3022) radiocarbon date
Figure 6: Phase 3 features
Figure 7: Phase 4 features
Figure 8: Ring-gully enclosure, facing west. 0.5m scale units. Image credit: York Archaeology
Figure 9: Pit [1088], facing west. 0.1m scale units. Image credit: York Archaeology
Figure 10: Pit fill (1087) radiocarbon date
Figure 11: Watering hole [3056], facing west. 0.5 and 0.1m scale units Wattle lining (3149), facing west. 0.1m scale units. Image credit: York Archaeology
Figure 12: Wattle lining (3149), facing west. 0.1m scale units. Image credit: York Archaeology
Figure 13: Wattle lining (3149) radiocarbon date
Figure 14: Watering hole [3179], facing north. 0.5m scale units. Image credit: York Archaeology
Figure 15: Wattle lining (3176) in watering hole [3015]/[3052], facing east. 0.1m scale units. Image credit: York Archaeology
Figure 16: Wattle lining (3176) radiocarbon date
Figure 17: Posthole fill (3076) radiocarbon date
Figure 18: Surface (3172) in watering hole [3015]/[3052], facing north-east. 0.5m scale units. Image credit: York Archaeology
Figure 19: Watering hole fill (3171) radiocarbon date
Figure 20: Phase 6 features
Figure 21: Prehistoric vessel forms (illustrated by R. Duffield)
Figure 22: Wattle age and size analysis. (3149), age versus diameter (compiled by S.J. Allen)
Figure 23: Wattle age and size analysis. (3176), age versus diameter (compiled by S.J. Allen)
Figure 24: Turned wooden bowl. (3149), ST21 (illustrated by S.J. Allen)
Figure 25: Beehive quern roughout. (3143), SF17 (illustrated by L. Collett)
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