Archaeology team members working on the site of an early Roman granary
- Credit: Oxford Archaeology East
The remains of an Iron Age village has been found at Tye Green.
Members of Oxford Archaeology East have been investigating the four hectare area for Countryside Properties and RPS Consulting, ahead of work to create new housing.
Their fieldwork suggests the site was important in the late Iron Age and early Roman periods, but could have come to harm - possibly as a result of Boudiccan reprisals.
Aerial view of the site showing the roundhouses
- Credit: Oxford Archaeology East
The site has a large defensive enclosure dug in the late 1st century BC, with 17 roundhouses and 17 semi-circular shapes which could have been screens or windbreaks.
Abandoned Iron Age Settlement Excavated in England
ESSEX, ENGLAND
BBC News reports that archaeologists have found a ten-acre settlement made up of 17 roundhouses surrounded by a defensive structure that was burned down and abandoned in the late first century A.D. Researchers think the residents of this high-status village may have participated in the revolt against the Roman invasion led by Boudicca, the queen of the Iceni tribe. “The local Trinovantes tribe joined the A.D. 61 rebellion and after Boudicca’s defeat we know the Romans punished everyone involved,” said Andy Greef of Oxford Archaeology East. People did return to the site, however, to leave votive offerings possibly linked to the cult of the Roman god Mercury into the fourth century A.D. and the end of Roman rule, he added. “It could be there was a shrine on the site that continued to attract people and, as it’s very close to the Roman road Stane Street, it was easy to access,” he explained. A copper
Experts excavated the important settlement at Tye Green, near Cressing
The ancient village was built on a prominent ridge overlooking the Brain Valley
It sported at least 17 roundhouses and screens that may have protected hearths
After the main enclosure was abandoned, the site appears to have been farmed
But the team found a site for offerings that operated on into the 3rd Century
From here they have found hundreds of brooches, as well as coins and beads
Legacy of The Celtic Queen of Freedom
Queen Boudica (also spelt Boudicca or Boadicea), is a famous Briton folk hero who led the Celtic Iceni tribe in a rebellion against the invading Roman Empire, around 60 AD. According to the Roman chronicler
Tacitus, with her daughters positioned on war chariots beside her, the famous female military general delivered a speech clarifying that she was not fighting to save her wealth but to ¨avenge her lost freedom, her battered body, and the abused chastity of her daughters”.
Tacitus, The Annals, Book 14, Chapter 35 )
Claiming the old Celtic deities were on her side, the female warrior fought for the freedom of her tribe and she ultimately reached legendary status having been murdered by the Romans, or possibly by poisoning herself before they reached her. Now, Andy Greef from
BBC News
Published
image copyrightOxford Archaeology East
image captionA number of the larger roundhouses were burned down and the defensive enclosure cleared during the late First Century AD
The destruction of a clearly high status Iron Age village may represent reprisals after the Boudiccan revolt , an archaeologist has said.
More than 17 roundhouses were discovered in a defensive enclosure at Cressing, near Braintree in Essex.
The site was burned down and abandoned during the late First Century AD. The local Trinovantes tribe joined the AD61 rebellion and after Boudicca s defeat we know the Romans punished everyone involved, said Andy Greef.
image copyrightOxford Archaeology East