Kent Archaeological Field School,School Farm Oast, Graveney Road, Faversham,Kent, ME13 8UP. Tel: 01795 532548.E-mail: info@kafs.co.uk

Welcome to the 2010Spring issue ofthe Kent

Archaeological FieldSchool Newsletter. It hasbeen a wonderful tenthseason of excavation andcourses with the Field School.

Great discoveries have been made which willenable us to understand even better the landscapearchaeology of Kent. Further work was carriedout on the site of the Roman town of Durolevum

where we exposed Saxon and Roman cemeteriessouth of the A2 which overlaid deep Roman v-shaped ditches and which may be the circuitof a 1st century Roman marching camp. Wewill return to this site in August 2010 to

unravel the mystery of the elusive Roman fortat Syndale. At Bax Farm, our main dig in 2009,we exposed the Roman foundations of a uniqueoctagonal bath house. Whether the central plungepool was used for Christian baptism is a questionfor post-excavation work, but nevertheless aunique building from the time of Constantine.

KAFS Newsletter: No.6.Heard aboutthe dig at Bax

Farm?

Kent Archaeological Field School: Spring 2010

The excavation team at workduring Easter at the smallRoman town of Durolevum.They are removing a Romancremation vessel from its pit.The pot, dating from the 2ndcentury was in a fragile stateand on the advice of ourconservation specialist hasbeen wrapped in cling filmbefore lifting. Under thecemetery are located double v-shaped Roman ditches whichmay be from an earlymarching camp dating fromthe AD43 Claudian invasion.

New book on Archaeology

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F I E L D S C H O O L B O O K SWinter 2009

The new book by Paul Wilkinson, the director ofthe Field School, launched last winter was aninstant success. The book is a distillation of whatis taught at the Field School and many studentswill find it invaluable in their studies. It is in fullcolour and covers subjects which are essentialreading for today’s student of archaeology.

Mick Aston says the book is “A very useful basicintroduction to archaeology” whilst Francis Pryorsays “I wish this book had been available when I startedout in archaeology back in the 1960s. It tells youeverything you need to know in order to decide what sortof archaeology you’d like to learn more about”. To orderthe book at £10 fill in the form opposite.

Last December The Field Schoolhelped to make a BBC

programme on “Burials in theLandscape”. We showedhow easy it was fortreasure hunters to targetunknown archaeological

sites (below).

BBC Investigation of a field in Kent

The site chosen wasclose to Bridge nearCanterbury and in thevicinity wherewonderful Anglo-Saxonjewellery had beenplundered in the 18thcentury (above, top).On this Google aerial

photograph you can seethe individual Anglo-Saxon graves within theditched cemetery.Most of the graves arepointing west-eastsuggesting they areChristian burials.

Order FormIf you would like a signed copy please putthe name required at the bottom of thecoupon.Your Name............................................................Address..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

E-mail address......................................................I enclose a cheque (payable to KAFS) for £10which includes post and packagingName in book................................................

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B A X FA R M E X C AVA T I O N

The 2009 summer excavationof the Kent Archaeological

Field School was toinvestigate a Romanoctagonal buildinglocated as debris in a

field by Dr PaulWilkinson as part of the

Swale Archaeological Survey in2000. About 80 students from most

of the major universities in Britain hadgathered for three weeks’ training andexcavation at the end of which we hadexposed all of a unique and magnificent lateRoman octagonal structure with anoctagonal central plunge bath probably builtat the time of Constantine, the first ChristianEmperor.

The blue coloured fresco floor of the plungebath has survived as has the Roman leadwater pipe leading from the massive Romanbrick arched conduit which carried copiousamounts of water to the bath. The structurewas about 14 metres across and probablyhas arcaded columns surrounding thecentral octagonal pool. The walls of thebuilding were originally covered withdecorated painted plaster and the floorswith the usual tesserae in black, red and

blue tile. Smaller marble mosaic cubes werealso retrieved which suggest that some of theinternal decoration may have had mosaics.

Octagonal buildings of this type have onlybeen found in the West Country at Lufton andHolcombe. Others are further afield inRavenna and Rome where they functioned asearly Christian baptisteries. The function of

these elaborate and exotic buildings in Britainhas often been discussed but most expertskeep coming back to the idea that theastonishing octagonal frigidarium at thecentre of the building could have been usedfor Christian or even Jewish baptism, ascenario reinforced by the finding of a Romanlead seal at Bax Farm, which probably is a"redemption of the first born" medal anddepicts a special kind of five-branchedmenorah used in the ceremony of baptism.

Research by Bartosz Cichy (above)into the structure of the buildingshow that some rooms at Bax Farmhad underfloor heating as well asalcoves which contained hot plungebaths. It is logical to assume thatabove the central pool and itsfountain was a vaulted ceilingcarried on arcaded columns and alarge dome set on pendentivespierced by clerestory lighting. Thehigh building would have echoedand reflected the sound of cascadingwater on its blue domed ceiling.

before Watling Street, itself dated to about AD 50. Investigation by Hawley in 1926-31 withinSyndale Park to the west found the remains ofRoman houses with intact hearths alongside theA2 (Watling Street). In Syndale Park itself hefound the remains of two skeletons (Whiting &Hawley 1931).

In 2004-7 the KAFS found a number of Romancremations, the remains of Watling Street andadjacent Roman buildings which is likely to bethe Roman small town of Durolevum (PracticalArchaeology Issues 2-7).

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Summer 2010

A programme of field survey and geophysicalinvestigation supported by limited excavation bythe KAFS over the last few seasons has now shednew light on the nature and extent of monumentswithin the park. This has led in turn to a widerinvestigation of the land north and south of theRoman Watling Street, which itself runs east/westthrough the park (below). The focus of attentionin 2008/9 was an area (red) located at the easternedge of the park and south of Watling Street. Thisarea was originally investigated by ColonelHawley in September 1922, where he reported

that: “a paved hearth and wall foundations” hadbeen revealed (Whiting & Hawley 1931).

On investigation of his trench by the KAFS the‘paved hearth’ turned out to be a monumental sarcophagus built out of chalk blocks and KentishRagstone with a terracotta ceramic lid coveringthe grave slot. The monument is late, having beenbuilt over the remains of a 3rd century kiln.

The terracotta lid has been damaged sometimein the past, but the grave has not been robbed andthe burial is still in situ. Other features exposedwere a Roman kiln or oven, Roman cremationburials, Roman Watling Street and a large Romandouble ditch, some two metres deep, dated bycoins and pottery to the 1st century and dug

Investigations at Syndale Park in 2010

F I E L D S C H O O L C O U R S E S

The summer excavation atSyndale Park will concentrate onexcavating the Roman cemeteriesin the red zone to allow access tothe 1st century double ditcheslocated underneath.These ditches could be part of aRoman marching campconstructed by the Roman legionsof Claudius when britain wasinvaded in AD 43.Time Team has spent a weekattempting to located a Romanfort at Syndale in an area nowknown to have been a late IronAge settlement.

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R O M A N H O L I D AY T R I P S

marvellous imperial buildings, the mosaic cladpalaces, a fast moving and full itinerary will takeyou places few tourists see- including a visit toOstia and Hadrians Villa at Tivilo. The trip costs £1,198 per person (single £1,465).

December 4th to 9th.Winter Trip to RomanGermany-the Edge ofEmpireA tour to the heart ofRoman Germanica.Who can forget theopening scene of thefilm Gladiator, set in

the Teutoburg Forest? Our tour begins inCologne, Germany’s oldest city on the very edgeof Empire. We move on to Xanten and visit therebuilt Roman town and then on to SaalburgRoman fort high in the German forests whereVarus led his legions to disaster. At Trier we willenjoy the Christmas markets and visit the PortaNigra, the Cathedral, The Roman Baths,Episcopal Museum, the Constantine Basilica, andthe Rheinisches Landesmuseum. Price £998 per person (single £1,145).

May 22nd to 27th. Pompeiiand the Bay of NaplesThis trip is for thecognoscenti who have beenbefore but want to spendmore time at Pompeii- itincludes two days ofguided tours of the well-preserved Roman townof Pompeii and

Herculaneum. We will alsovisit Cumae, Baiae, Pozzuoli, Oplontis,

Boscoreale, the villas’ at Stabiae, and the NaplesArchaeological Museum.Also included is a free book (above) written byyour guide-Dr Paul Wilkinson.The trip includes full board and flights,entrance fees, transfers, coach, and Italian guideand costs £998 per person (single £1,249).

September 17th to 24th, 2010.Imperial Rome, Ostia and Hadrians Villa A trip without equal-the

Pompeii, Imperial Rome, and Roman Germany 2010: Libya in 2011

All of the trips fully guided by Dr Paul Wilkinson. Prices include flights, transfers, b&b, dinner, some lunches, entrance fees and coach travel. For further details, and to book see: www.kafs.co.uk-To book Libya for 2011 we will need your deposit of £250 by September 2010. For details of the trip see www.kafs.co.uk

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F I E L D S C H O O L C O U R S E S

March 6th & 7th, Field Walking and Historic Map AnalysisWalking across the landscape, andrecording features seen on the

ground is fundamental to most ruralarchaeology. This weekend course

explains how to recognise and record artefactsfound within the plough soil. These objectsinclude flint tools, building material, pottery,glass and metal artefacts. We will consider theimportance ofhistoric map analysisas part of thisprocedure. KAFSmembers free.

Easter, April 2nd toApril 11th,Investigation of aRoman villa.An opportunity forKAFS members tojoin the professionalSWAT archaeologists in investigating byevaluation trenching the environs of a Romanvilla and its outbuildings. KAFS ‘five year’member’s free, non-members £35 per day,members £20 a day.

May Bank Holiday, May 1st, 2nd, 3rdIntroduction to ArchaeologyA practical three-day Bank Holiday course. Wewill survey the extent of a Roman settlement, itsaccess roads, field systems, and sample, throughsurvey and field-walking the extent and qualityof survival of the Roman infrastructure. Thiscourse is ideal for newcomers and families new toarchaeology who wish to understand thearchaeological process. We shall look at howarchaeological sites are discovered and find outhow different types of finds, such as pottery,bones and flints, reveal the lives of former

peoples. The three-day Bank Holiday course costs£50 if membership is taken out at the time ofbooking, KAFS ‘five year’ members free.

May 29th, 30th, How to Identify Prehistoric FlintsA course on the identification of prehistoric flintand stone with Hugo Lamdin-Whymark who willexplain the technology used to produceprehistoric tools from all periods. On Sundaythere will be a practicalexercise on field walkingfor lithics and flintknapping with John Lord,one of the country’sleading practitioners ofthe craft.

July 24th, 25th , Soilsampling for ArchaeologistsA course on the theoryand practice of soilsampling with Lisa Gray an experiencedarchaeobotanist. Methods from how to takesamples in the field to the recovery of seeds andplant remains, molluscs, animal and fish bones,by water flotation utilising a flushing system ofsieves and recycled water. Samples will be sortedfor recovery of seeds and prepared for analysis.Practical exercises for students with the flotationtanks will take place at the KAFS Field School.

August 28th and 29th, Bones and BurialsOsteo-archaeology is the study of human remains.The course will be led by Dr Chris Deter from theDept of Anthropology, University of Kent. Thecourse will cover the on-site recording of humanremains and how they can reveal informationabout the person’s age, sex and state of health.Excavated skeletons will be available for studyand analysis in practical sessions.Cost for the weekend is £70 for non-members andKAFS member’s special fee of £60.

Summer 2010

KAFS two-day courses cost £70, three-day courses cost £100. Unless otherwise stated,KAFS members enjoy a 10% discount on full prices, except field trips. To book, fill in theform on page 8. For further details of all courses and membership, see: www.kafs.co.uk

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F I E L D S C H O O L T R I P S

Techniques; Wednesday: Site Survey; Thursday: Archaeological Recording; Friday: Small Finds Recording. KAFS ‘five year’ members free, joining member’sspecial fee £20 per day, non-members £30 per day.

Summer 2010

June 5th, 6th, Hadrian’s WallAn exciting trip to the very edge of the RomanEmpire with Professor David Breeze author ofthe definitive work on Hadrian’s Wall.We will visit Housesteads, Birdoswald,Vindolanda, Great Chesters, Segedunum, andArbeia, the Roman supply base of Corbridgeand the working replica baths at Segedunum.Price for the weekend is £99, which includesentrance fees and coach travel to sites alongthe Wall.

Field School ‘No Frills’ trips arefor the adventurrous at heart.Advice is given on flights andaccommodation. Numbers are lim-ited to 30 people on Hadrians Walltrip and 16 people on the Ravennatrip. We have booked our flights and accommodation to Newcastle and Ravenna and will be at Newcastle and Ravennato receive guests. Paul & Catherine Wilkinson.

August 14th to September 12th.Excavation of the Roman cemetery to reveal apossible 1st century Roman invasion marching campat Syndale Park, Faversham Recent geophysical survey and excavation in thesummer of 2009 has identified Roman burials(right) and 1st century Roman double ditchesalongside the Roman Watling Street at SyndalePark, just west of Faversham. We will spendthirty days excavating and recording theseRoman features in a genuine course of discovery.Beginners are welcome to the Training Course onthe Monday 23rd to Friday 27th August course,with the option to continue for further days (samedaily fee applies). Experienced participants maybook the days they wish. Topics taught each day are: Monday: History ofthe Site & Why dig? Tuesday: Excavation

May 14th, 15th, 16th, Ravenna, ItalyRavenna was the last capital of the Roman

Empire in the West,before becoming thecapital of ByzantineItaly. The city haswonderful examplesof early Christianarchitecture andsome of the best

early Christian mosaics in the world.Price for the long weekend is £120 whichincludes mini bus travel from the airport atBologna, entrance fees and advice on flightsand where to stay. We will visit the NationalMuseum, in San Vitale, and see the cross-shaped Mausoleum of Galla Placidia, wherethe early mosaics include a star-encrustedcupola. There are two baptisteries inRavenna; the Catholic one with Hellenic-Roman style mosaics dating from 450, andthe Arian Baptistery with its figure of Christ.We will visit the remains of Theodoric’smausoleum that he built for himself in 520.We travel out of the city to Saint Apollinarein Classe. When it was built, in the 5th century, it stood on the Adriatic coast, next towhere the Roman fleet once moored.

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KAFS COURSE BOOKING FORMName of Course…………………………………….......................................................................................Date of Course………………………………………Your Name……………………………………………Address……………………………………………….………………………………………………………….........…………………………………………………..Postcode…………………Tel No................................E-mail address..............................................................I enclose a cheque (payable to KAFS) for…………Please send me a KAFS membership form

Return this form to:–The Kent Archaeological Field School,School Farm Oast, Graveney Road, Faversham,Kent ME13 8UP. Tel: 01795 532548 Website: www.kafs.co.uk e-mail: info@kafs.co.ukPlease note that courses are bookable in advance only and arenon-refundable or transferable. Member’s 10% discount does notapply to special fees and field trips. Children over 14 and under16 years old are welcome on courses, but must be accompaniedby an adult; under-16s are not allowed on excavations.

To become a member andenjoy a 10% discount oncourses plus a subscription to

Practical Archaeology.Tick the box on the rightand the forms will be sentto you, or download themfrom our website —www.kafs.co.uk.

October 2nd and 3rd, Anglo-Saxon Weekendwith Paul Blinkhorn

October 16th and 17th, Archaeological Drawing A beginner’s and refresher course introducingparticipants to drawing archaeological artefacts.There will be practical sessions each daydemonstrating how to illustrate pottery, bone,metal. Course led by Jane Russell, who was seniorillustrator of the UCL Field Archaeology Unit.

October 30th and 31st, Professional recording in theField with SWAT Archaeology. Learn how to set upthe ‘Site Archive’: Free to members.

November 13th and 14th, Professional recording inthe Field with SWAT Archaeology. Learn how tosurvey on site, site plans, sections, and the site grid

Autumn 2010

F I E L D S C H O O L C O U R S E S

Even more courses in the Autumn.For further details of all courses and membership, see: www.kafs.co.uk

May to June, Excavation of the Roman Palace atOplontisA small team fromSWAT Archaeology andselected members ofKAFS will be workingwith the University ofTexas on a researchexcavation at the worldfamous palace ofNero’s wife Poppaea.The palace was overwhelmed by Vesuvius inAD79 and buried. The World Heritage site wasexcavated in the 1960’s with stunning results. Thisis a unique opportunity to join that small selectband of archaeologists to have excavated atOplontis/Pompeii. Cost is £175 per week.Accommodation and meals not included.