Land at Dalton Heights, Seaham, Durham. Excavation (OASIS ID: adarchae1-386053)

AD Archaeology was commissioned by Bellway Homes to undertake an archaeological strip, map and record excavation on land at Dalton Heights, Seaham, Durham, prior to the construction of a housing development. The excavation followed on from a desk-based assessment (NAA 2015), geophysical survey (GSB 2014) and evaluation trenching (AD Archaeology 2019). The excavation revealed a complex sequence of features representing the eastern end of a settlement that originally would have extended west and south-west of the development area. It seems most likely that much of the settlement has been destroyed during the construction of the A19 road. A complex sequence of gullies, postholes, fence-lines and cut features were located. Whilst it is clear that these features form part of a settlement its layout is unclear in part because of the fragmentary nature of the surviving remains. Additionally the features were located at the eastern end of a settlement, perhaps in an area where one could anticipate a lower degree of formal planning. Dating evidence in the form of 20 sherds of Roman pottery was recovered, with no earlier or later artefactual evidence. The only fabrics represented were Crambeck reduced ware (CRA RE) and calcite-gritted ware (HUN CG), and all the sherds date to after c.260 AD. Four radiocarbon samples produced dates belonging to the late Roman period with a date range of 254-412 calAD. However, it is clear that there is a background of prehistoric activity at the site with one radiocarbon sample producing a Neolithic date (3658 calBC) and two of late Iron Age date (275-176 calBC). Thus although the dating evidence confirms the presence of late Roman rural settlement at the site, rather than being a settlement de novo it seems likely rather, that it developed on a site with late Iron Age and possibly earlier prehistoric antecedents. It is unclear when the late Roman rural settlement came to an end, but no dating evidence or material culture was recovered that indicated a continuity into the post Roman period. It is clear that the majority of features uncovered belong to a rural Roman Britain settlement of some complexity, whose material culture, does not conform to typical late Iron Age native settlement patterns. Prior to the advances in archaeological techniques and methodologies in the last 15 years relatively few Roman rural settlements had been identified in Durham. The importance of the location of the Dalton Heights site is that it forms one of a sequence of discoveries that is significantly revising the understanding of the Roman period in the area south of Hadrian's Wall. There is little doubt further similar sites await discovery in this area and the apparent scarcity of late Roman rural sites relates more to the difficulty in locating and recognising such sites rather than a function of their scarcity

AD考古（AD Archaeology）受贝尔威住宅（Bellway Homes）委托，在达勒姆郡西哈姆的道尔顿高地地块开展住宅开发前的考古清理、测绘与记录性发掘工作。本次发掘接续此前的案头评估（desk-based assessment，NAA 2015）、地球物理勘探（geophysical survey，GSB 2014）与试掘槽沟（evaluation trenching，AD Archaeology 2019）工作。发掘揭露了一组复杂的遗迹序列，对应一处定居点的东端——该定居点原本应向开发区域的西侧与西南侧延伸。据推测，该定居点的大部分区域在A19公路的修建过程中遭到损毁。本次发掘共发现一系列复杂的沟状遗迹、柱洞、围栏线与开挖遗迹。尽管可以确定上述遗迹属于一处定居点，但由于残存遗迹较为破碎，其整体布局仍未明确。此外，这些遗迹位于定居点的东端，或许处于一处规划程度较低的区域。考古人员出土了20片罗马陶片作为年代学佐证，未发现更早或更晚的人工遗存。出土陶片的陶系仅涵盖克拉姆贝克素面陶（Crambeck reduced ware，CRA RE）与钙质粗粒陶（calcite-gritted ware，HUN CG），所有陶片的年代均不早于公元260年。4份放射性碳测年样品的年代属于罗马晚期，校准公元纪年范围为254-412 calAD。不过，遗址中存在史前活动的背景遗存：1份测年样品的年代为新石器时代（校准公元前3658年），另外2份为铁器时代晚期（校准公元前275-176年）。由此可见，尽管年代学证据证实了遗址存在晚期罗马乡村定居点，但该定居点并非全新建立，而是很可能依托铁器时代晚期乃至更早的史前遗址发展而来。目前尚无法确定该晚期罗马乡村定居点的废弃时间，且未发现任何可证明其延续至后罗马时期的年代学证据或物质文化遗存。显然，本次发掘的绝大多数遗迹属于结构较为复杂的不列颠罗马时期乡村定居点，其物质文化并不符合典型的铁器时代晚期本土定居模式。在过去15年考古技术与方法取得长足进步之前，达勒姆郡境内被识别出的罗马乡村定居点数量相对有限。道尔顿高地遗址的重要价值在于，它属于一系列新发现之一，正显著修正学界对哈德良长城以南地区罗马时期的认知。毫无疑问，该区域仍有大量同类遗址有待发掘，晚期罗马乡村遗址看似稀少，更多是因为定位与识别这类遗址存在较大难度，而非其本身数量匮乏。