This week and next we’re going back to Tarmac’s Cheviot Quarry, previously known as Lanton Quarry, near Milfield in Northumberland where we’ve previously carried out nine phases of strip, map and sample excavation. In the past we’ve uncovered important evidence for multi-phase Neolithic settlement which has produced one of the single largest assemblages of Neolithic pottery found in northern England. Other discoveries include Bronze Age farming settlements and associated ‘granary’ structures, a late Iron Age burial ground with what appears to be an associated shrine, and a pioneer Anglo-Saxon settlement which has produced important remains from its associated workshops (sunken featured buildings) for craft production and that has produced an important assemblage of pottery as well as loom weights, metal objects, querns, polychrome glass beads and an abundance of cereal remains. In 2016 we found four Neolithic cremation pits that had been arranged in a diamond configuration, each of which contained a number of cremated individuals. Analysis of the cremations found that they contained a minimum of 13 people across all ages including babies, young children, teenagers and adults.
This time around we’ve already excavated a number of waste pits that have produced large sherds of Neolithic Carinated Bowl and chipped flint tools. Make sure to return to our News page to be kept up-to-date on what we uncover in the coming week. For more information on what we’ve found in the past, see our Lanton Quarry projects page.