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Cambridge Archaeological Unit @cambridgearch.bsky.social · 12h

The model created from the Flag Fen auger survey shows that the basin around the post-alignment has a gentle gradient across its western half, beside a deeper 250-300m wide “valley” across the eastern half. This eastern deeper, wetter zone corresponds to the location of the Flag Fen platform.

The deposit model created during the Flag Fen auger survey, with differing colours indicating the variations in depth across the Flag Fen basin.

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Cambridge Archaeological Unit @cambridgearch.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

The deepest point from the Flag Fen auger survey was 3.8m and the shallowest 0.2m with an average depth of 1.46m. The lowest recorded point equalled -1.24m OD while the highest equalled 2.87m OD, a difference of 4.11m. The resulting model established a detailed asymmetrical, bowl-shaped profile.

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Cambridge Archaeological Unit @cambridgearch.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

The soft deposits around Flag Fen were well suited to augering. Aside from a dry plough soil and compacted alluvial cover, the deposit sequence was made up of malleable peats, silty peats, organic silts and sandy clays. A buried soil horizon was recorded in most auger holes. Photo: Emma Bothamley

Someone removing the compacted sediment from the head of the auger and placing it into a white plastic drainpipe.

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Cambridge Archaeological Unit @cambridgearch.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

To gather the information needed to build a model the auger survey used a grid 1100m x 500m spaced at 50m intervals across the Flag Fen post alignment corridor. Starting at Fengate to the West and ending at Northey Island to the east a total of 200 points were hand augered. Photo: Emma Bothamley

A group of archaeologists carrying out an auger survey, removing the auger from the ground.

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Cambridge Archaeological Unit @cambridgearch.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Last year’s Flag Fen auger survey was designed to accurately map the pre-Holocene land surface and surviving Holocene sediment sequence in the area around the Flag Fen post-alignment. This week we’ll be exploring the project and some of its findings. Photo: Emma Bothamley.

A group of people examining sediment from the Flag Fen auger survey.

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Cambridge Archaeological Unit @cambridgearch.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

The 2020-21 Over Needingworth excavations revealed an area of preserved wooden stakes/posts and stake/postholes, with 58 being fully excavated and recorded. Dating to the Roman period the stakes and posts reflected use of the land when the area had transformed from a prehistoric dry land to fen.

A wooden stake in situ that is in the process of being excavated with a black and white scale bar.

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Cambridge Archaeological Unit @cambridgearch.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

This Middle Bronze Age roundhouse from the Over Needingworth quarry has a rather elaborate southeast-facing entranceway, with eight additional postholes in addition to the ring of six that formed the main structure. The postholes produced 25 pottery sherds and small quantities of wood charcoal.

A ring of circular postholes with two rows of postholes in parallel lines coming off from the main ring

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Cambridge Archaeological Unit @cambridgearch.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

The first phase of Over Needingworth’s Barrow 20 involved an in-situ cremation event followed by the construction of a turf mound. The cremation took place directly on the buried soil surface and left traces of the pyre remains.

An overhead drone shot showing a round barrow in the process of being excavated. Four slots one in each quadrant are present and the dark ring of the ditch is visible at the edge of the barrow.

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Cambridge Archaeological Unit @cambridgearch.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

Barrow 20, from the 2020-21 excavations at Over Needingworth quarry, was a monument with two main phases. Following its initial construction a second phase involved digging a surrounding ring ditch and using the excavated gravel to enlarge the barrow’s mound.

An overhead drone photograph showing a round barrow’s ring ditch during excavation. The evenly spaced slots in the ditch have been dug through dark grey sediment with the monument cut into a brown-orange gravel.

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Cambridge Archaeological Unit @cambridgearch.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

A dense area of 84 pits and postholes was found in excavations at Over Needingworth quarry in 2020-21. The combined features produced 28 sherds of Grooved Ware pottery, including some Durrington Walls type sherds.

An area containing a dense cluster of half sectioned pits and postholes with dark grey-brown fills cut into pale orange mottled gravels.

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Cambridge Archaeological Unit @cambridgearch.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

Discovered in the 2020-21 Over Needingworth quarry excavations, this Late Neolithic pit well contained some interesting fills. Two distinctive charcoal rich midden deposits contained 123 sherds of Grooved Ware pottery, 604 fragments of animal bone and over 100 pieces of worked flint.

A large pit over three metres wide with many fills indicated by different colours and textures. Preserved wood is visible at the pit’s base.

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Cambridge Archaeological Unit @cambridgearch.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

This circular arrangement of 16 postholes/small pits is thought to be a timber circle or a small “hengiform” monument and was found during 2020-21 excavations at Over Needingworth quarry. Its form is characteristic of the later Neolithic and it pre-dated the Middle Bronze Age droveway that cuts it.

A circle of half-sectioned postholes dug into an orange sandy, gravelly natural with a dark brown linear ditch running vertically down the centre of the image.

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Cambridge Archaeological Unit @cambridgearch.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

The primary inhumation in the Middle Neolithic round barrow found during 2020-21 excavations at Over Needingworth quarry consisted of two individuals placed in “mirrored” positions. One of the individuals was buried with four large flint blades that had clearly been placed as grave goods.

A round barrow in the process of being excavated with several hand dug slots across its ditch and a section of the mound still in place.

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Cambridge Archaeological Unit @cambridgearch.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

Excavations at the Over Needingworth quarry in 2020-21 uncovered a Middle Neolithic ditched round barrow. Barrow 22 was a single-phase monument where a primary double burial was interred in a shallow scoop, before a ring-ditch was dug and its excavated material used to raise a mound over the grave

An overhead, drone image of a round barrow during excavation with a section of mound still present and multiple slots dug into the monument’s ditch.

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Cambridge Archaeological Unit @cambridgearch.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

An Open Access publication exploring 21 sites A Book of Sites: River Great Ouse floodplain and mid-stream islands investigations by Christopher Evans, Joshua Pollard and Mark Haughton is available as a free download. doi.org/10.17863/CAM...

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Cambridge Archaeological Unit @cambridgearch.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

At Must Farm the hollow at the edge of the ridge appeared to have been a useful feature in later prehistory. The use of a stake alignment around part of the hollow and the presence of a route demonstrated by animal tracks suggested that there was likely to have been a form of managed access.

The edge of a deeper hollow discovered at the excavation.

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Cambridge Archaeological Unit @cambridgearch.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

Work on the preserved animal tracks along the bottom of the Flag Fen Basin at Must Farm suggested the shape and size are indicative they were created by cattle and are reminiscent of similar ones discovered nearby at Bradley Fen.

Detail of excavated preserved animal hoofprints.

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Cambridge Archaeological Unit @cambridgearch.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

Running across the middle of this image, above the scale, is a series of animal tracks from Must Farm. Travelling along the bottom of the Flag Fen Basin the tracks went to and from the wet hollow and were probably part of the daily route of small groups of animals moving between pastures.

An overhead view of an area of preserved animal tracks crossing an area of the excavation.

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Cambridge Archaeological Unit @cambridgearch.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

Stakes from the second alignment at the latest excavation at Must Farm showed that they were simple and functional. Some stakes were with a single chop to create the sharpened tip before they were inserted into the ground. Only a few showed evidence of more working with multi-faceted points.

A close-up of an archaeologist holding a preserved stake so that the cut mark on its tip is visible to the camera.

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Cambridge Archaeological Unit @cambridgearch.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

Fortunately, the second row of stakes at Must Farm was better preserved. As the stakes were inserted into the edge of a wet hollow, rather than in the harder gravels like the first alignment, more detail can be seen on the wood allowing us to understand how the stakes were created.

An archaeologist lifting a preserved stake out of the ground and holding it in their hands.

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Cambridge Archaeological Unit @cambridgearch.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

After uncovering the second stake alignment we recorded each in situ before they were lifted, studied further and sampled.

An archaeologist with a drawing board making a scale drawing of an area of stakes with a tape measure and line level set up.

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Cambridge Archaeological Unit @cambridgearch.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

At Must Farm we also discovered a second stake alignment! These stakes are positioned around the edge of a what would have been a wet hollow and seem to have been managing access.

An overhead view of a group of five archaeologists working on a row of stakes.

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Cambridge Archaeological Unit @cambridgearch.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

The stakes in the row at Must Farm were positioned close to the edge of the floodplain, which sat above the area of lower, waterlogged deposits. In places only the very tips of the stakes survived, like this alder example, limiting the amount of information we were able to get from the wood.

A close-up of the dark, degraded tip of a wooden stake.

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Cambridge Archaeological Unit @cambridgearch.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

We discovered the remnants of a stake alignment close to the buried soil at Must Farm. These rows of stakes have been found in other areas of the site and probably date to the early Bronze Age.

An excavated area that has revealed the profiles of a series of stakes, visible as dark vertical lines in the ground.

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Cambridge Archaeological Unit @cambridgearch.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

On the ridge in the latest area of excavation at Must Farm the buried soil contained a range of finds including flints, with lots of blades and scrapers, alongside pottery. These artefacts are consistent with the buried soil dating to the late Neolithic or early Bronze Age.

A close-up of an archaeologist holding a worked flint in their fingertips.

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Cambridge Archaeological Unit @cambridgearch.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

More Beaker pottery was discovered from the pit cluster at Must Farm, including this nice sherd still in situ.

A close-up of a decorated sherd of pottery in the ground.

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Cambridge Archaeological Unit @cambridgearch.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

The cluster of pits in the buried soil at Must Farm contained Beaker pottery including this exciting handled Beaker dating to 2400-1900BC. We’ve been examining the sherds and found that several refit across pits, including the handled Beaker, demonstrating that the features were contemporary.

A close-up of a large, decorated sherd of pottery being held in a hand.

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Cambridge Archaeological Unit @cambridgearch.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

Above the edge of the floodplain and beside the preserved trees was a well-preserved buried soil. This deposit contained a cluster of pits with assemblages of pottery, flint and animal bone that appear to represent the buried waste of a short-term occupation at Must Farm overlooking the river.

An overhead drone view of two archaeologists cleaning an area of circular pits.

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Cambridge Archaeological Unit @cambridgearch.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

Unfortunately, despite the preserved trees at Must Farm being in good condition we were only able to date a few of them. Even those with over a hundred rings could not be dated using dendrochronology.

A group of cut, sampled sections of preserved trees resting on the ground next to an archaeologist’s feet.

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Cambridge Archaeological Unit @cambridgearch.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

Contours are key to unpicking the story of the landscape uncovered at Must Farm. As the Fens became inundated the rising water levels may have been responsible for the death of the trees in this latest area as it became too wet for them to survive.

A sampled tree emerges from a dark, peaty layer that sits below a smooth, blue-grey clay.

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Cambridge Archaeological Unit @cambridgearch.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

At Must Farm the presence of preserved trees that had been growing in situ in the wood peat showed us that in this period of prehistory this location would have been a Fen carr environment.

A sampled tree sitting in a cleaned area of stratigraphy.

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Cambridge Archaeological Unit @cambridgearch.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

The area of preserved trees at Must Farm gave us an insight into the landscape and its changes over time. The stratigraphy at the site showed us clearly that the trees were growing in an environment wet enough for peat to form. In this image, a tree stump is rooted directly into the wood peat layer.

An archaeologist cleans an area to highlight the stratigraphy around a preserved tree stump.

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Cambridge Archaeological Unit @cambridgearch.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

Lots of trees popped up in the wood peat deposits at Must Farm. It’s always satisfying uncovering them ready for recording and sampling.

Three archaeologists stand next to an exposed preserved trees with their shovels next to them.

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Cambridge Archaeological Unit @cambridgearch.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

The edge of the floodplain in the latest area at Must Farm is the edge of a terrace that contains the remains of preserved trees. This example is an oak tree with two stems growing from the same stool. Well-preserved with its bark and sapwood intact, it seems to have died and fallen quickly.

A fallen oak tree with very dark wood that has been excavated and left on a slightly raised area.

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Cambridge Archaeological Unit @cambridgearch.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

Our new work at Must Farm focused on an old land surface or buried soil situated at the bottom of the Flag Fen Basin. The adjacent, deeper floodplain also had a buried soil that is more poorly preserved. This lower land surface produced small numbers of Late Mesolithic & early Neolithic worked flint

A drone image showing the long, thin area of excavation at the edge of the quarry that gradually slopes downwards towards the bottom of the basin.

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Cambridge Archaeological Unit @cambridgearch.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

The wood-filled deposit in the latest phase of work at Must Farm contained alder and ash trees. It is possible the deposit could be part of another palaeochannel or it may be another step or dip in the earlier floodplain.

An overhead view of an area of a very dark deposit filled with preserved pieces of wood

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Cambridge Archaeological Unit @cambridgearch.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

Must Farm often produces interesting stratigraphy and some great colours! These colourful layers belong to the deposits in the floodplain of the prehistoric River Nene.

Different layers of sediment in clear bands of colours including a dark brown, blue-grey and a light greenish-yellow.

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Cambridge Archaeological Unit @cambridgearch.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

To the south of the latest excavation area at Must Farm we uncovered an interesting organic deposit containing lots of preserved wood, including trees. None of the wood appeared to have been worked, though some had been gnawed by beavers.

An overhead view of a large area of the dark, organic deposit close to the edge of the excavation.

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Cambridge Archaeological Unit @cambridgearch.bsky.social · 11/08/2026

The latest phase of work at Must Farm explored the bottom of the Flag Fen Basin (before it was submerged in the Middle Bronze Age) together with the much deeper floodplain of the prehistoric River Nene.

A map showing the location of the area of the current excavation with colour coding highlighting the difference in height between the basin and floodplain of the Flag Fen basin.

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Cambridge Archaeological Unit @cambridgearch.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

We’re excited to have been back excavating at Must Farm Quarry where we investigated a new area. Over the next few weeks we’ll share updates of the archaeology we encountered.

A small group of archaeologists working at the edge of a large quarry.

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Cambridge Archaeological Unit @cambridgearch.bsky.social · 03/07/2026

We’re excited to share new free KS2 resources for teachers. Covering Must Farm and the Bronze Age, the resources include videos, reconstruction illustrations, presentations and more! We’re hoping they’ll help teachers bring the Bronze Age to life historicengland.org.uk/education/sc...

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Cambridge Archaeological Unit @cambridgearch.bsky.social · 02/07/2026

The West Cambourne log ladder, found towards the base of a large watering hole, has well preserved tool marks on its lower steps, showing the way in which the axe was used to chip out the wood between two faces of the notch.

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Cambridge Archaeological Unit @cambridgearch.bsky.social · 02/07/2026

The watering hole at West Cambourne produced the longest log ladder currently known from Britain, with its full surviving length measuring over 3m. Contextual information suggests the ladder dates to the late Iron Age.

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Cambridge Archaeological Unit @cambridgearch.bsky.social · 01/07/2026

West Cambourne’s watering hole produced lots of interesting waterlogged wood. These included a mixture of planks and part of a modified tree trunk, which may have been used to help haul water from the feature.

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Cambridge Archaeological Unit @cambridgearch.bsky.social · 30/06/2026

The watering hole from West Cambourne contained some dark organic deposits which we encounter less often in this geology. These have been sampled to examine the potential for environmental evidence and provide more context for this Late Iron Age archaeology.

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Cambridge Archaeological Unit @cambridgearch.bsky.social · 29/06/2026

At a depth of approximately 1.5m in the large later prehistoric watering hole found at West Cambourne conditions allowed for the preservation of waterlogged wood. Carefully uncovering these timbers in the wet, clayey conditions was not easy!

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Cambridge Archaeological Unit @cambridgearch.bsky.social · 26/06/2026

One of the largest archaeological features at West Cambourne was this watering hole, measuring 25m long by 14m wide and likely dating to the Late Iron Age. It contained two well shafts, approximately 3m deep, showing it was recut at least once.

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Cambridge Archaeological Unit @cambridgearch.bsky.social · 25/06/2026

A slot in a ditch at West Cambourne produced 782 sherds of early Roman pottery. This seems to have resulted from a “dumping event” where mostly complete pots were shattered as they were thrown into the ditch. The rest of the feature contained few finds suggesting this was an isolated event.

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Cambridge Archaeological Unit @cambridgearch.bsky.social · 24/06/2026

At West Cambourne a series of Iron Age boundary ditches were discovered that probably formed the edge of a prehistoric settlement. The features produced finds that are typical of Iron Age domestic activity including pottery, animal bone and burnt stone.

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Cambridge Archaeological Unit @cambridgearch.bsky.social · 23/06/2026

One of the Iron Age discoveries at West Cambourne was this circular enclosure, approximately 24m in diameter. Its ditch was up to 2.5m wide and 1.4m deep and was most likely used for managing livestock.

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