Developer archaeology has been denigrated in some quarters as unthinking and mechanical — the sterilisation of hectares of archaeological landscapes through excavation by rote, and the publication (if we are lucky) of dull, workmanlike reports that describe sites in monotonous detail but rarely isolate what is interesting or appreciate the significance of the findings. Like all caricatures there can be an element of truth in these accusations, but it is absolutely not a criticism that can be levelled at this thoughtful, inventive report. Evans and his collaborators adopt the rhetorical position of the conscious observer of the archaeological process, often ‘writing about writing’ as they term it. Almost all aspects of the two sites which form the core of the volume are reported in detail and their significance and interpretation debated (they deliberately avoid a simplistic single interpretation where the evidence is ambiguous). This makes for a long volume, and in places the small typeface can be a daunting read.
The report is concerned with extensive excavations in advance of mineral extraction on the south side of the Fens. Two main sites were investigated: Langdale Hale, which is interpreted as a mass-production supply farm, and Camp Ground, which is termed a large inland barge-port. Both sites lay on a gravel terrace bordering a waterway which provided access to the Great Ouse and thence the North Sea, as well as (probably) to the Car Dyke. The quantities and types of material culture recovered from the two sites differ markedly. Langdale Hale produced much less than Camp Ground, which produced material in such quantities as to differentiate it from many other rural settlements (for example, 1,860 coins and 73,000 sherds of pottery). Camp Ground is a fascinating site which shows strong elements of ordered planning yet the timber buildings are seemingly unremarkable. A series of shallow cuts in the waterfront area are interpreted as slipways for the barges. Both sites were re-ordered and substantially increased in size in the early second century, and the authors not unnaturally look to Stonea for potential parallels. Not only was Camp Ground excavated on a much more extensive scale than Stonea, but it also had continued occupation into the later Roman period. It is suggested that the locations of middens might mark the locations of terpen-like raised buildings constructed in response to rising water levels. One of the few aspects not discussed in detail is the basis for the dating of the various structural phases — just how secure is the date of c. a.d. 120 for the start of Phase II for instance?
A major question arising from the work is what products were produced at Langdale Hale and distributed through Camp Ground, and the direction of that trade. Most probably it was agricultural produce, including meat, destined for the northern frontier. Perhaps future isotope analyses of faunal remains from military sites in the North might shed more light on this? Camp Ground might also have played some (local?) role in the distribution of Nene Valley wares, although more detailed ceramic studies will likely be required before this can be fully understood.
While the sites investigated are interesting in themselves, the methodologies employed in their examination are another important aspect of this report. There is a strong emphasis on intra-site finds distributions, which assist in interpretation. Such analysis occurs remarkably rarely in rural excavations and could be usefully developed in future studies through the application of volumetric analyses (quantities of finds per m3 of feature fills) rather than per 10-m grid square, where the distributions are heavily skewed by differing intensities of hand excavation. The team also commissioned the site to be ploughed and then fieldwalked and metal-detected ahead of excavation. While unsurprisingly more late material was recovered from the ploughsoil than from the excavation, enough was recovered from the excavated features to suggest that the story reported would not have been dramatically different if the ploughsoil had been mechanically stripped without such prior survey (as occurs on the vast majority of commercial excavations). Whether the sites of the middens/terpen-structures would have survived a ‘hard’ level of machining is, however, more debatable.
This is a major volume which is essential reading not just for those interested in the Roman Fenland, but Romano-British rural settlement more generally and the methods used to investigate those sites. It is never less than thought-provoking and is a ringing endorsement of what developer archaeology can achieve. The plan of all the archaeological features at Camp Ground is dazzling in its complexity and the field craft of those who disentangled its constituent parts is greatly to be admired.
