Prehistoric finds uncovered at site of A34 Lodge Hill interchange
North Abingdon residents are learning prehistoric secrets about the place in which they live after archaeologists uncovered evidence of ancient river systems and early human life half a million years ago.
The archaeological investigations were undertaken of behalf of Oxfordshire County Council in preparation for the new A34 interchange at Lodge Hill. Discoveries included deeply buried sediments from the area’s ancient river systems dating back to the Middle Pleistocene period and some flint tools, reflecting early human presence from this era.
Experts from Oxford Archaeology, commissioned by the councils’ contractor, Balfour Beatty, dug 16 trial trenches, 12 test pits and two boreholes. The work was part of a planning condition to explore any potential archaeological remains and any ancient sediments that would be affected by the new interchange.
Councillor Judy Roberts, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Infrastructure and Development Strategy, said: Archaeological investigations like this are an important part of the process of delivering construction schemes. They help us identify and understand past features and residents of the area and record them for future generations.
“Oxfordshire has a fascinating history – not just its people, but its geology too. These remains offer a glimpse into the ancient ecosystems that existed here during the interglacial periods.”
Excavations found evidence of the Lodge Hill Channel, an ancient river system that crosses the site in a southwest to northeast direction. This channel, which is buried beneath a younger layer of gravel, has silty sediments up to 5m deep in places, with remains of ancient fossil material such as snail shells, fish bones and plant matter in its deeper parts. A piece of a Palaeolithic flint handaxe was also found from deposits that directly overlap the ancient channel fill.
The channel deposits at Lodge Hill are probably part of the same river system as similar deposits found nearby, also in north Abingdon, where Sugworth Lane crosses the A34. The Sugworth Lane deposits have been recognised as of national significance for their fossil faunal remains, which contains an extinct species of vole.
Although no major archaeological remains were identified in the trenches, a few flint artefacts were also found that reflect later prehistoric human activity at the site. Three worked flints were found, probably from the Neolithic to Bronze Age periods.
The archaeological evaluation also revealed a few undated features, including two small pits, a linear ditch, and a series of postholes, likely of post-medieval or modern origin, along with quantities of Roman pottery and medieval tile fragments.
Carl Champness, Project Manager for Oxford Archaeology said: “The discovery of a rare lower-middle age handaxe and the interglacial channel deposits at Lodge Hill dating between 600,000-500,000 years ago may provide new insights into a lost landscape. This is only the start of the story, and we hope planned further investigation and detailed analysis of these remains, will help enhance our understanding of the early occupation of Britain.”
Francis Wenban-Smith of University of Southampton, Palaeolithic specialist for Oxford Archaeology, said: “These are very exciting finds. Artefactual evidence of this period is exceptionally rare in the Upper Thames landscape north of the Goring Gap. The presence of flint tools gives an insight into the mobility of these ancient humans, since flint raw material would not have been available at the site. The human species involved was probably Homo heidelbergensis, who were the ancestor of the Neanderthals, and who periodically occupied Britain in warmer climatic episodes between c. 800,000 and 400,000 years ago.”
Image provided courtesy of Oxford Archaeology
Image 1 shows the Lower/Middle Palaeolithic handaxe identified in the North drift gravel deposits in Test Pit 21
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