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R71: Misc. pink-buff fabrics (Pollard 1995, 601). 4 sherds. c.18g.
R73: Misc. reduced sand-tempered ware (coarse) (Pollard 1995,
702). 275 sherds.
c.1,813g.
R74.1: Misc. oxidised (orange) sand-tempered ware (coarse);
distinguished from
R73 on the basis of colour.
6 sherds. c.20g.
R81: Eggshell terra nigra (Tomber and Dore 1998, 16). 9
sherds. c.26g.
R87: Gaulish white flagon ware, Rigby fabric WW2 (Tomber and
Dore 1998, 23).
2 sherds. c.12g.
LR11: Nene-valley type colour-coated ware (Howe et al.
1980; Tomber and Dore
1998, 117–18). 1
sherd. c.4g.
The physical condition of the pottery is generally poor. Most
sherds are small and heavily weathered. In many cases this
weathering has resulted in the complete loss of the original
surface finish, and as a consequence, it was difficult to assign
a date to some of the smaller groups and individual sherds.
The assemblage contains a significant proportion of typically
‘Belgic’ fabric types, tempered with flint, grog, sand and
shell (29.8 per cent by sherd count). Although there is also a
significant quantity of Romanised, wheel-thrown, reduced, R73
(26.2 per cent), recognisable forms in this fabric are largely
limited to bead-rim and everted-rim jars.
A similar chronological trend is observable among
the finewares. By far the most abundant fabrics are fine
Upchurch-types, R16, 17, and 18, which together total 36 per
cent of the assemblage by sherd count (21.4 per cent by weight).
All of the identifiable forms date to either the second half of
the first and possibly (but not necessarily) the early second
century. The commonest forms are dishes, flagons and carinated
beakers of Monaghan classes 7A, 1E1, and 2G. Girth beakers of
class 2F are also present. There is a conspicuous absence of
barbotine-dot decorated ‘poppyhead’ beakers of Monaghan
class 2A. (Monaghan 1987).
Although there are only thirteen sherds of samian,
they are all of Southern Gaulish type (R42), probably belonging
to the second half of the first century. With the exception of a
single sherd of LR11 (see below), all of the other imported
fineware sherds, in fabrics BER 7 and 11, R20 and 81 also belong
to the first century. The presence of such a diversity of early
fineware types is striking, and particularly that of a
roughcast-decorated cornice-rimmed beaker in fabric R20. This
ware, dated to between c. AD 40-70, is not common in
Kent, occurring principally on high status urban and villa sites
(Pollard 1988, 37). Another unusual find is a stamped R81 base
(Fig. 8, no. 18). Although the form is uncertain, it is likely
to be a necked and carinated beaker, Holwerda forms 25-27 (Holwerda
1941). The ware is usually thought to post-date AD 50 in Britain
(Rigby 1995, 647). The detail of the stamp itself is,
unfortunately, entirely unintelligible and not illustrated.
The almost complete absence of products of the
Canterbury pottery industry provides further evidence for the
limited distribution of these wares in this area of Kent
(Pollard 1987, 69-9).
Three groups of material have been selected for discussion. In
terms of the quality and quantity of their ceramic content, the
only significant pre-conquest or conquest-period deposits are
ditch groups F102 and F103, and the most significant early
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