Excavations at The Marshalls Site, Newmarket Rd, Cambrdige 2015-16. Arch. Post Ex Assessment
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Cambridge Archaeological Unit, Department of Archaeology, University of Cambridge
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Archaeological excavation of major Iron Age settlement remains was undertaken by Cambridge Archaeological Unit (CAU) as part of the Marshalls Wing development at Newmarket Road, Cambridge (centred on TL 4898 5929). Work was carried out in two phases between September 2015 and November 2018. Situated immediately to the north of Newmarket Road, the excavation area(s) lies within extensive Iron Age settlement, which has been variously recorded in previous evaluations and excavations. The current excavation exposed settlement remains dating from the Early Iron Age through to the Later Iron Age as well as evidence of later, Early Roman and Medieval land use. The main period of occupation dated to the Early and Middle Iron Age and includes at least three distinct phases of settlement representing a shift from Early Iron Age open settlement to Middle Iron Age enclosed settlement. Amongst the site's features, some 488 pits produced large pottery and animal bone assemblages as well as human remains (both articulated burials and disarticulated elements). Amongst the pits, one individual feature (F.108) - previously encountered in a 1997 evaluation (Mortimer 1997) - produced a particularly large and valuable Early Iron Age finds assemblage including over 1500 sherds of pottery and over 17kg of animal bone. A total of 14 ditched enclosures, representing probable paddocks as well as settlement enclosures, were also recorded alongside nineteen four post structures. The Iron Age remains at the site represent settlement of some scale and an archaeological site of considerable importance. Potentially an unbroken sequence of occupation, associated with substantial artefactual assemblages, it has considerable potential in furthering our understanding of Iron Age settlement and its economy and in particular the Early to Middle Iron Age transition.