Miscellaneous

Arminghall Henge
Henge

Details of henge on Pastscape

A henge monument at Arminghall photographed from the air (as cropmarks) in 1929 and partly excavated in 1935. The site comprises two concentric sub-circular ditches, the innermost circa 27 metres across and the outer circa 82 metres across. The outer ditch is much narrower. Traces of a slight bank were noted both inside the outer ditch and outside the inner ditch. These are presumed by the excavator to represent the same bank. The inner ditch has an entrance on its south-western side. The outer ditch could not be traced on the south west, so it is unclear if it featured a corresponding entrance gap. Cropmark evidence in fact suggests that there may have been three or four interruptions in the oute circuit in the south to southwest sector. Within the inner enclosure was a horseshoe-shaped arrangement of 8 substantial post holes, each of which was accompanied by a ramp (all facing the same direction). The two post holes which were excavated suggested that they held oak posts each about 1 foot in diameter, and sunk about 8 feet into the ground. Several decades later, a radiocarbon date of 2490+/-150 bc (uncalibrated) was obtained from charcoal recovered from one of the post holes. Finds from primary contexts were rather limited, comprising mainly flint flakes, cores and burnt flints plus 16 sherds of rusticated Beaker pottery from a “charcoal seam” in the inner ditch. The presence of Beaker sherds is a little at odds with the radiocarbon date, even allowing for the age of the wood, which suggests that the timber circle/horseshoe may well pre-date the henge itself. Unstratified material and finds from secondary contexts included items of Mesolithic, Iron Age and Roman date.

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