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Unfortunatlv pr Pa_ul Wilkingm is in Tgrkev so_I will _b_e
reading his paper instead

Slide 1: Aerial view of Bridge

In 2004 the Bridge Historical Society invited the Kent Archaeological
Field School (KAFS) to investigate an enigmatic cropmark at Star
Hill just to the south-east of Bridge.

The cropmark visible on this aerial photograph in the bottom left-
hand corner is in the shape of a hexagon (point). To the right is the
route of the Roman road from Dover to Canterbury now followed by
the modern road. Note how it changes alignment on top of the hill
to the north of Bridge.

The village of Bridge straddles the road and also the Roman river
crossing over the Little Stour. The chalk hills surrounding Bridge
have revealed over the last few centuries an archaeological
eldorado of Saxon graves: to the north-east Bifrons, to the south-
west Kingston, and now Star Hill.

Slide 2: Kent Sites and Monuments

Before the Kent Archaeological Filed School began its investigation,
a check was made of the known archaeology. In the 2004 request
to KCC burial mounds were itemised as were crop—marks, shown in

blue, but no hexagon is shown.

Slide 3: Kent Site and Monument

However, in the 2006 request from KCC the system had been
upgraded and the Scheduled Ancient Monument was now shown,
but still no hexagon which is to the left of the purple zone of the
scheduled area.

Slide 4: OS Map of Bridge

The modern Ordnance Survey Map showing the site of Star Hill
(point) in relation to Bridge and the Roman Road. It is unfortunate
that the archaeology discovered some twenty years ago on the


Bridge By-pass (point) has still to be published. The discoveries
included Bronze Age, Iron Age, Roman and Saxon sites.

Slide 5: Caesar in Kent

The hexagon at Bridge is documented by English Heritage as a
“probable World War II emplacement”, but Francis Vine writing in
18% had other ideas.

Slide 6: Vine Mag

He thought the hexagon was a fort (point) dating from the Roman
period surrounded by other elements of Caesars camp — including
another hexagon — which the Kent Archaeological Field School have
also found.

Slide 7: Aerial Pic

He may be right about the date, but not the function. Here a 1946
aerial photo shows the hexagon (point) and also the still surviving
Anglo-Saxon burial mounds built on the Roman road. These have
now been ploughed out and have disappeared.

Slide 8: Another Afll Pig

A later aerial picture from the 1970's shows where the barrows

«were, but also shows surviving ring ditches of Anglo-Saxon burials

(point). The hexagon is just below, to the right of them and shows
up spectacularly. It is about 30 metres across, the sides just under
16m long, the width of the ditch about two metres. There are
rounded corners to the hexagon and no apparent entrance.

What is it? Is it unique?

Slide 9: Pluherlin

Well it's not unique; at Pluherlin we ha

ve a cropmark almost the
; :’ 2 ~. ., ._ . \

same size as Star Hill.    .     :     

Slide 10: Alise ~  f  4


Also at Alise-Sainte-Reine

Slide 1 1: Cocheran

Also at Cocheran ~ W  v M ;;~t~_s

Slide 12: Niederbronn \  . ;'_.  

Also at Niederbronn

Slide 13: Aerial pic — hex

They all appear like this in the landscape. Here you can just make
out other square enclosures to the right of the hexagon, and if you
remember back to the sites and monuments slides of Star Hill there
was also square enclosures to the right of the hexagon.

What are they?... They are of course a well known type of Romano-
Celtic temple or mausoleum.

Slide 14

Investigation of Star Hill by the KAFS immediately revealed the

hexagon ditch, here to be seen in the foreground. The location is
important. It is on a hill with a view, the Roman road is to the left

-in the line of trees, whilst to the right you can see the valley of the

Little Stour.

Slide 15: Close-up of ditch

A close-up view of the same scene shows in detail the hexagon
ditch. Note how the inner face has been shaped (point).

Slide 16: Ditch Corner

The corner of the hexagon ditch has been beautifully carved. On
the outside rim a series of post-holes are being excavated by
archaeologists.


Slide 17: Centre Pit

In the exact centre of the hexagon was a 3 metre wide circular pit
(point) surrounded by a square cut into the chalk — seen here on
the right.

Slide 18: Ditch

The fill of the hexagon ditch was mainly chalk with very little
organic material suggesting the ditch had been re-filled after only a
short period of use — certainly less than a year.

Slide 19: Close up — Ditch

Here you can have a close look at the fill - note there is no organic
material at the back of the ditch.

Slide 20: Hexagon ditch

Further investigation in the south-east corner of the hexagon
revealed Saxon graves clustered around the periphery of the
hexagon.

Slide 21: corner of Hex

Same area but look at the exquisite workmanship in carving the
corner of the hexagon. At the bottom right you can just see the
foot of a Saxon grave. (point)

Slide 22: Grave cuttin hex 5 co

It was important to understand the relationship of the Saxon graves
to the hexagon. Did the graves cut the hexagon, or did the
hexagon cut the graves?

The evidence retrieved is emphatic: The Saxon graves cut the
hexagon, so the hexagon must be earlier than the Saxons. But how
eafly?


Slide 23: Graves 7 co

The graves you have just seen continued in a family group to the
south-east. Treasure was found- gold, silver, glassware, spears,
brooches, necklaces, silver coins but very little skeletal remains.

In fact so much treasure was found it was important to retrieve
these artefacts so they would be safe, available for study and
displayed in museums.

Slide 24: Graves with people

It is important to remember we know very little about the Saxons,
or indeed the Franks, we have little written evidence, so it is only by
the study of their day to day objects that we can begin to
understand them. But we must remember they were people like
you or me with lives lived and loved ones lost. We, and I mean
archaeologists must treat such discoveries with compassion and try
and juggle both academic demands but also demands of the local
community.

Slide 25: Grave 7 [ Hex

I said earlier that the Saxon graves cut the hexagon: here is one
such example. If the hexagon was later than the Saxon grave it

-would have disturbed it.

Slide 26: Hex cut by grave

It didn't. The skeleton and grave goods were still in situ. Indeed if
you look closely (point) you can see the grave infill cutting the
hexagon infill — excellent evidence that the hexagon was dug first.

Slide 27: Gold

Grave goods included gold pendants.


Slide 28: Gold
Here at the moment of retrieval.

Slide 29: Bridge Glass

Glass palm cup — miraculously intact, and the finest so far found in
Kent.

Slide 30: Palm Cu S ear
Here cleaned in distilled water. Above it a small spear awaiting x-
ray and conservation at the British Museum.

 p\  U xi/x/5 I .1
Slide 31: Spear

The objects have been drawn and are awaiting inclusion in the
interim report.

Slide 32: Grave Finds

Frankish pottery from the late 7”‘ Century. 

Slide 33: Bridge as Pot

Again drawn up

Slide 34: AS pot

With the decoration shown in detail.

Slide 35: Gold Pendent

Gold! Worth a fortune but modern archaeologists will think more of
what it tells us, rather than what it is worth.


Slide 36: Gold Faversham

Evidence is accumulating that such gold items were made at
Faversham. This item was retrieved from Kings Field in Faversham
by William Gibbs, the local grocer who paid the labourer about 2
shillings for it.

Slide 37: Kingston Brooch

Less than two miles away from Star Hill at Kingston this wonderful
brooch was dug up in the 19”‘ century, again probably made at
Faversham. N ~~ ,1 g 9 .

3 '7,“   C431/sag

3 Jo gqct,-M;».g«> spa/cwm cw»

37¢ Ax b/64-4 -
Slide 38: Bridge 06

We returned to Star Hill at Easter 2006 and our Research Design
was structured — controversly to open a series of liner test pits on a
grid. This is not a strat y used before in the UK, but is cost
effective, and also works.

‘@119.

Features are exposed and once the extent of these features plotted
areas can then be focused upon. Here you can see the outline of
three graves cut into the chalk exposed by this method.

Slide 40: Star Hill

Indeed there were so many features a 50m strip and map was
undertaken and over 98 graves exposed. But not only graves, Star
Hill had been occupied since 6000 BC. Dozens of Neolithic tools and
post-holes were discovered. Bronze Age structures and an Iron Age
settlement with its own permanent ditch. The site had been
densely occupied for over 8000 years — the Saxons were the last in
a long line of people to occupy the hill, living or dead.


Slide 41: Bridge 06

Unfortunately the hill had been severely damaged by ploughing,
here you can see the score marks left by the plough. This meant all
of the Iron-Age and early Saxon cremation urns were smashed and
scattered.

Slide 42: Bridge 06

The first task was to clear off the chalk surface and record the
features.

Slide 43: Bridge 06
You can see in this slide how densely packed the features are —

cremation pits, Iron Age post-holes, a Bronze Age fence and graves,
and more graves.

Slide 44: O6 [ 32

In consultation with English Heritage and the British Museum and

‘prior to scheduling it was decided not to excavate the Saxon graves

but concentrate on the prehistoric features. Here students of the
field school are excavating and recording features.

Slide 45

Even the graves were meticulously recorded.

Slide 46

Special attention was made to prehistoric post-holes and over 2000
prehistoric shards of pottery have been retrieved which will allow us
to phase different occupations of the site.


Slide 47

The bases of cremation urns with some contents did survive the
ploughing — this particular one is Iron-Age.

Slide 48

This fence structure is unique, pottery dates it to the middle bronze
age — slots for/a*split wood posts packed with clay have survived in
the chalk.

Slide 49

The amount of information, compared to earlier excavations on
Saxon graveyards in the area is staggering. We have everything
from Neolithic flint tool manufacture to a Romano-Celtic sacred site,
from middle Bronze Age farming to an Iron-Age settlement. And
cluttering it all up are hundreds of Saxon graves, from huge
barrows, to smaller ring ditch barrows, to family groups.

Slide 50

~We have had the time and resources to sample, and record to a

level seldom achieved on such sites in the past.

Slide 51
It has been an amazing opportunity for archaeological students

embarking on their careers to be involved in an excavation of such
excellence.

Slide 52

New methods of recording have been tested in the field.


Slide 53

Field drawings show the complexity of the site.

Slide 54

With Saxon ring ditches, Iron-Age structures and rubbish pits.

Slide 55

In all — in an area 50m x 20m over 2500 separate contexts were
recorded, drawn, photographed and sampled.

Slide 56: Childs Grave

Q

Unfortunatly our work at Bridge did stir up a hornets nest: English
Heritage alone received 18 requests to stop the work, a number of
local residents mounted an orchestrated campaign to stop the work.
Do they have a point? This Saxon child's grave with its few
remaining bones - should it have been left in peace?

-Slide 57

My answer is a resounding NO! We move into the future by looking
back at the past.

Discussion on who we were, where do we come from, what does it
all mean are important to us and long may it continue.

Dr Paul Wilkinson can be reached at info@kafs.co.uk on his return
from Turkey


Bridge Lecture

59 items, 1.73 GB available

 
 
    

1/Bridge/

— \ . 28/Paul with gold cop39/Bridge/O6/ liner/graves 50/bridge/r9C0"dS/05
2/bridge SMR 2004 copy’9e°3'°°”‘9'd't°h

     

51/surveying cop}

   '   40/ t h'll h 006
0 ‘>3 16/Bridge 2003 c3g/yBrIdge/glass/ gravef Sal I marc

3/bridge SMR 2006 copy

     

 

52/hex/O3/sectic

3 30/palm cup/spear /Bridg41/Bridge/05/31 copy
17/Hex centre pit/Bridge copy §:;F-_uL nmfi

  
  

 

4/Bridge  map copy

 

,  ‘ 53/Bridge site plan/5
*’ * 31/Brldge/SD93“/G 3 42/Bridge/O6/18 copy
18/Bridge O2 ditch/hex copy .,

 

5/Caesar in Kent/book cover

 

 

 

_ 54/Bridge site plan 1
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‘v>\ 3; .
6/Vine map/2 Copy L  S 55/Bridge site plan/E
»  33/Bridge.AS.pot. copy

 

20/Bridge hex copy

     

44/Bridge/06/32 copy
7/Bridge ap/EH copy 

   

34/Bridge/ASpot/decoration 56/bridge/childs grav/OI

21/hex corner 05 copy 
t/AP/colour

  

45/Bridge/O6/33 copy
, 35/gold pendant/bridge copy
22/grave cutting hex/5 copy

9/Pluherlin

   

8/Bridge/Ken

   

57/bridge05/25 c(

 

46/Bridge/06

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36/GOLD.Faversham copy

fig 23/gravers/7 copy

10/Alise-Sainte-Reine

 

47/Bridge/06/24 copy

 
 
 

   

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with people uoJ..l'~.«.J, away‘ A _ “ '
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12/Niederbronn

 

   

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13/-Jpg copy