SNN113117 - Stanion, Corby, Northamptonshire: archaeomagnetic dating report 2002

During preparations for the construction of a new barn on farmland at Stanion near Corby in Northamptonshire, tesserae were uncovered suggesting the presence of a Roman mosaic. Subsequent excavations revealed the remains of a Roman villa, with areas of intact mosaic, suggesting a structure of some pretension. The Archaeometry Branch was requested to provide archaeomagnetic analysis for two fired clay features discovered on site. The first appeared to be a hearth, composed of fired clay laid on top of a Roman mosaic floor and also overlying a villa wall footing. The second was a linear feaure with a slot-shaped depression, partially lined with stones, conjectured to have been a corn drier. Archaeomagnetic analysis demonstrated that the clay comprising the hearth feature had not been fired in situ and so could not be dated. The second feature, the putative corn drier, appeared to have been badly disturbed since it was last fired with a high degree of scattering in the magnetisation directions of individual samples. It was thus not possible to deduce a relaible date for its last firing but an approximate estimate was obtained by subjectively choosing to accept only those seven samples that had similar TRM directions. The date obtained suggests that it was last heated during the period spanned by the first centuries BC and AD.