Monument record 9743 - Iron Age and Romano-British settlement, Steane Park

In 1976 a copper-alloy bust, later identified as Marcus Aurelius and dating to the 3rd century AD, was found in a field near Brackley. To provide archaeological context for the find, several seasons of archaeological investigation, including geophysical survey and excavation, have identified an Iron Age and Romano-British settlement. Possibly orignating in the middle Iron Age, by the late Iron Age a 'banjo'-type enclosure had been constructed. There is some evidence that horses were a significant part of the economy. In the Roman period a polygonal stone-founded structure, possibly a shrine, was constructed.

{1} A very unusual portrait head and neck of a bearded male, cast in statuary bronze using the hollow wax technique. It is 162mm high, has a maximum width of 115mm, is 99mm wide from ear to ear and weighs 2.1kg.

Portable Antiquities Scheme find provenance information:
Date found: 15 April 1976 (Circa)
Methods of discovery: Agricultural or drainage work
Circumstances of Discovery: Brought up after deep cross-ploughing

{2} Copper-alloy portrait head found near Brackley, made in a provincial workshop in Britain or Gaul in the mid to late 2nd century; photos;

{4} Copy of plot of geophysics results but no detail or interpretation given.

{5} Three small trial trenches were opened up in April 2013. Two trenches were excavated close to where the head of Marcus Aurelius was found. In one was a wall cut by a later ditch. In the upper fill of the ditch was an inhumation, thought likely to be of Saxon date. Also found was a metal-working hearth. A second trench immediately north identified a pewter ditch and a pewter bowl which had been rammed up against a stone wall. The third trench was excavated close to the northern perimeter of the settlement and identified a boundary wall.

{7} Geophysical survey was undertaken in September 2012 and added to in March 2013. It revealed the remains of a settlement. The morphology of the features, together with surface finds of Roman on the surface, suggested a Roman date. The settlement appears to be bounded on the east and north by a trackway or ditch. It contained a range of small regular and irregular plots defined by ditches. A trackway runs through the settlement, and a circular feature is possible connected to the trackway. The nature of the ditches suggests that elements of the settlement are of multiple phases.

{8} Further geophysical survey was undertaken to the south and north. A possible trackway was identified, leading up to the settlement from the river bank.
Two small trenches were excavated over key features identified by the geophysical surveys. The large circular feature was successfully dated to the late Iron Age, with much residual middle Iron Age pottery suggesting a longer period of use of the site. A thick layer of Roman domestic and building detritus sealed these earlier features. In the second trench were a pair of ditches with multiple recuts. Possibly originating in the late Iron Age they were deliberately infilled in the middle of the 3rd century AD.

{9} Further geophysical survey was undertaken in August 2016, which determined the western extent of the settlement, which extends a short distance into the field to the west. A further small enclosure lies in the northern part of the western field but its relationship with the main settlement is unclear. In the eastern field two ditches possibly defining a trackway, lead north from the settlement to the modern field boundary.

{10} Trenches opened up during the 2015 to 2017 seasons helped to understand the chronology of the site. A significant number of residual flints indicates a location of some importance in the late Neolithic, Bronze Age and early Iron Age periods although no specific features were identified. During the midde Iron Age the site appears to have been used for stock management purposes and in the late Iron Age a 'banjo'-type enclosure was constructed. Horses may have been a dominant feature of the economy with finds of horse crania in features, a late Iron Age bridle fitting and an early Roman hipposandal. By the 3rd century AD, a polygonal stone structure was constructed, possibly a shrine. It was demolished and the enclosure ditches backfilled in the late 3rd-4th centuries.

<1> Portable Antiquities Database, (unchecked) (Digital archive). SNN102227.

<2> Lewis, M. (Ed.), 2010, The Portable Antiquities Scheme Annual Report 2009 & 2010 (Report). SNN111361.

<3> Worrell, S, 2010, Roman Britain in 2009 II: Finds reported under the Portable Antiquities Scheme (Article). SNN111360.

<4> Wintle, W., 2013, Steane Park Geophysical Survey, (checked) (Correspondence). SNN108602.

<5> Walker, S, 2013, Report on excavations at Steane Park, April 12-19 2013 (Report). SNN112226.

<6> Walker, S, 2014, Emperors and Deities in south-east Britain. A copper-Alloy Head of Marcus Aurelius from Steane, near Brackley (Northants) (Article). SNN111359.

<7> Horne, B (editor), 2015, South Midlands Archaeology (45), p. 56-57 (Journal). SNN111358.

<8> Horne, B (editor), 2016, South Midlands Archaeology (46), p. 46-51 (Journal). SNN111326.

<9> Crank, N. (Editor), 2017, South Midlands Archaeology (47), p. 56-57 (Journal). SNN111362.

<10> Morrison, W, 2018, Great Ouse Ancient Landscapes: Interim Report on the excavations-GOAL 2015-17 (Report). SNN112679.

<11> Morrison, W, 2018, Great Ouse Ancient Landscapes (GOAL)- a Roman temple on a multi-period settlement site at Steane Park (Article). SNN112680.

Record last edited

Sep 23 2021 11:42AM