A358 Taunton to Southfields Dualling Scheme, Somerset

As part of the joint venture Connect Archaeology, in partnership with AOC Archaeology and IAC Archaeology, CFA undertook the excavation of 727 trenches in advance of a road infrastructure scheme.

Potential archaeological features were encountered 164 trenches, largely located to the northern and southern extents of the scheme, with a particular concentration in the south. Bronze and Iron Age finds, such as flint and pottery, were recovered from several trenches.

Especially notable among the archaeological features on site were a sequence of ditches, orientated north to south, which were interpreted as comprising a single rectilinear enclosure. Also significant were a collection of pits and post holes, from which prehistoric pottery was recovered, which marked the presence of a probable prehistoric mortuary enclosure.

Elsewhere, the archaeological remains indicated domestic activity having taken place on site. A curvilinear ditch, denoting a a probable drip gully associated with a roundhouse, was recorded. A pit was situated within the ditch, and likely corresponded to activity taking place within the roundhouse.

Evidence for later phases of occupation came with the recovery of Romano-British remains, recorded in a series of V-shaped ditches. Possible ring ditch enclosures, along with associated pits and ditches, were interpreted as dating to a similar phase of activity.

A cluster of trenches containing finds, such as pot and metal objects, dating to the Middle Ages, helped establish the presence of medieval domestic activity on the site. More recent agricultural activity was reflected in the presence of post-medieval field boundaries.