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Cambridge Archaeological Unit @cambridgearch.bsky.social · 13h

This posthole, part of a Middle Bronze Age roundhouse excavated at Gravel Diggers Quarry, Waterbeach during 2016-18 contained a complete loomweight. The loomweight had an absence of wear suggesting that the unused artefact may have been deliberately placed in the posthole.

A half-sectioned pit with a circular loomweight sticking out of the section near the base of the feature. A 50cm black and white scale bar sits on the unexcavated half of the pit.

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Cambridge Archaeological Unit @cambridgearch.bsky.social · 13/10/2026

The remains of a structure, most likely dating to the Middle Bronze Age, were discovered during the 2016-18 excavations at Gravel Diggers Quarry, Waterbeach. As often happens in archaeology, the probable roundhouse had been cut by a later feature (in this case a Post-Medieval brush drain).

The partial gully from a prehistoric roundhouse. The feature is cut by a dark, mottled post-medieval feature.

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Cambridge Archaeological Unit @cambridgearch.bsky.social · 12/10/2026

Between 2016-18 excavations at Gravel Diggers Quarry, Waterbeach uncovered some fascinating Bronze Age archaeology. This watering hole or pit well contained preserved timbers that are thought to be the remnants of a wooden well structure as well as a log ladder.

A large circular pit that has been mostly excavated, with a large cluster of preserved dark timbers sitting in a shallow pool of water at the base of the archaeological feature.

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

The Anglo-Saxon Sunken Featured Building, SFB 2, from the Marleigh (Wing) development 2018-19 excavations appeared to have been part of a small homestead. Fully excavated it measured 4x4m with two postholes and a series of pits, some containing Anglo-Saxon pottery were discovered nearby.

An overhead view of a fully excavated Anglo-Saxon Sunken Featured Building.

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

This deposit found in the Anglo-Saxon Sunken Featured Building SFB2 from the 2018-19 excavations at the Marleigh (Wing) development contained loomweights among the charcoal and burnt material. A total of six complete loomweights and the fragmentary remains of another 19 were found in the feature.

An overhead view of a deposit containing loomweights from an Anglo-Saxon Sunken Featured Building in the process of being excavated.

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Cambridge Archaeological Unit @cambridgearch.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

We encountered two Anglo-Saxon Sunken Featured Buildings while excavating at the Marleigh (Wing) development in 2018-19. This structure, SFB 2, contained seven fills, many with spreads of charcoal and daub alongside 58 pieces of charred timber that were likely remains of the structure.

An overhead view of an upper burnt deposit from an Anglo-Saxon Sunken Featured Building during excavation.

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Cambridge Archaeological Unit @cambridgearch.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

The 2018-19 excavations at the Marleigh (Wing) development discovered a Conquest/Early Roman period compound. It is thought that the compound related to a structure that left no archaeological trace. More information is available in the post-excavation assessment report: doi.org/10.17863/CAM...

A sub-rectangular compound during excavation with four slots having been dug.

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Cambridge Archaeological Unit @cambridgearch.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

Thank you! It was a really interesting project with some great features.

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Cambridge Archaeological Unit @cambridgearch.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

Are there may higher compliments in archaeology?

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Cambridge Archaeological Unit @cambridgearch.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

This ditch with a steep “V” profile formed part of a Middle Bronze Age settlement enclosure and was discovered during 2018-19 excavations at the Marleigh (Wing) development. The lower fills contained Middle Bronze Age pottery, while the upper deposits included Iron Age-Early Roman ceramics.

A steep-sided, “V-shaped” ditch containing different layers, some of which are dark and charcoal-rich. A 2m ranging pole provides a scale.

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Cambridge Archaeological Unit @cambridgearch.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

Worth noting that Francis Pryor didn't discover Must Farm

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Cambridge Archaeological Unit @cambridgearch.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

The survey was carried out by volunteers and archaeologists from the Cambridge Archaeological Unit and the McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research’ Fenlands Futures Archaeology and Heritage Research Initiative (FFAHRI).

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Cambridge Archaeological Unit @cambridgearch.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

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

It's one of the things we love about this technique. It's so easy to imagine the landscape in the past being the same as it is today!

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

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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

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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

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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

A rare glimpse, I'm normally behind the camera!

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

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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

always trying to highlight some of the fascinating archaeology we encounter day to day. It's always a little surprising when something really seems to hit home with people.

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

Can confirm: very interesting (and a little bit unexpected too!)

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

Cheers! Really nice to know some of our work is being used in lectures.

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

Thanks! The site has produced some amazing barrows over the years and excavating and capturing them so crisply is down to the work of a really dedicated and fantastic set of archaeologists.

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

We're lucky to have great teams. It's hard to go through a report without coming across some fantastic looking digging!

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

I'm not sure if there's anything more satisfying in archaeology than when all the collaborative work on a big feature like this comes together!

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

Great to hear you've been enjoying the posts. Looking back through the archives and these were just too good not to share!

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

Please do (with a credit to Cambridge Archaeological Unit). This is one of Dave Webb's great barrow shots from this phase.

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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

Really nice to hear and very much appreciated. We're big fans of local knowledge and what it can bring to projects. We've got some great excavations on the horizon and are really looking forward to sharing them!

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

Thanks. I've been looking through the archive of reports recently and there's some great sites and archaeology in there that I felt needed to get some attention. It's not been helped by certain platforms suddenly deciding to prevent direct links though!

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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 · 24/09/2026

Thank you, we were lucky to have the fantastic Dave Webb photograph this.

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

Wow, that's such a kind thing to say. We always want to do the best for the archaeology we work on and understand it as fully as possible.

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

Such high praise, thanks for sending us such a nice comment.

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

Thank you! We only get to excavate features once so we always strive to do the best we can.

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

It's always really satisfying when archaeological features and methodologies line up like this!

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

After the cremation the remains were gathered into a bag or container and placed upright before being covered with a small mound. This mound was then turned into a barrow proper with a turf mound being added. More information in the post-excavation assessment report at doi.org/10.17863/CAM...

doi.org

Long Holme Drove Investigations II: 2020 Excavations within Hanson’s Over/Needingworth Quarry (Phase V.1): Post-Excavation Assessment

Archaeological excavations were undertaken by the Cambridge Archaeological Unit (CAU) at Hanson’s Over/Needingworth Quarry (centred on TL3890 7290) between July 2020 and May 2021. Taking place within…

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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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