Hartshill, Berkshire

Between January and April 2003 Cotswold Archaeology (CA) carried out an archaeological excavation funded by the Aggregates Levy Sustainability Fund (ALSF) at Hartshill Copse, Upper Bucklebury, West Berkshire (centred on NGR: SU 5310 6850). The excavation followed previous excavations conducted in 2002 prior to gravel extraction elsewhere within the gravel quarry which were carried out as a result of the findings of an archaeological evaluation undertaken in 1986.
The excavation identified evidence for late Bronze Age (c. 10th century BC) and Early Iron Age (c. 5th century BC) settlement, including a large ditched enclosure, three post alignments, three roundhouses and a single urned cremation, as well as numerous other postholes and pits. In addition a number of features have been dated to the Roman and post-medieval periods. The Late Bronze Age contexts have yeilded substantial amounts of iron working residue - evidence of the earliest ironworking yet known in Britain.

2003年1月至4月，科茨沃尔德考古公司（Cotswold Archaeology，CA）受集料税可持续发展基金（Aggregates Levy Sustainability Fund，ALSF）资助，在西伯克郡上巴克勒伯里的哈茨希尔科普斯开展考古发掘工作，发掘中心点位于国家网格参考系统（National Grid Reference，NGR）SU 5310 6850处。本次发掘接续2002年的考古作业，后者系为配合该砾石采石场内其他区域的砾石开采作业而开展，而该开采作业的实施依据为1986年考古评估所发现的考古遗存。

本次发掘识别出青铜时代晚期（约公元前10世纪）与铁器时代早期（约公元前5世纪）的定居遗迹，包括一座大型壕沟围场、三处柱列遗迹、三座圆形房屋以及一具以骨灰瓮盛装的火葬遗存，另伴有大量零散柱洞与坑穴遗迹。此外，部分遗迹可追溯至罗马时期与中世纪后期。青铜时代晚期的地层中出土了大量炼铁残渣，这是目前英国已知的最早炼铁活动实证。