Monument record BUN 196 - Evidence of Iron Age smelting, Land East Of Dukes Farm St Johns Hill Bungay (PCA) EVAL

Excavation investigated a large Early Iron Age boundary ditch on the high ground in the north-west of the site, which had been identified during earlier phases of evaluation. Smaller ditches were attached to this, possibly forming stock enclosures; some large pits may have been watering holes. The excavation recovered further iron-smelting slag to add to the larger assemblage recovered from the boundary ditch during the evaluation. Evidence for Iron Age iron smelting is rare in Suffolk, and East Anglia more widely, so the assemblage, though small, is of some regional significance.

Included in the Proceedings of the Suffolk Institute of Archaeology and History annual round up of individual finds and discoveries for 2022 (S1)

Evaluation and excavation established the presence of an Iron Age boundary ditch along with smaller enclosure ditches, and large and small pits. No specific zone of ironworking was clear, although the recovery of both slag and hammerscale suggest that ironworking happened nearby. Evidence of domestic occupation was also lacking, but various contexts yielded a small assemblage of largely Middle Iron Age pottery. The site appears to have been abandoned after the Iron Age with no further evidence of use until the post-medieval period when further ditches were created (S3). Included in the Proceedings of the Suffolk Institute of Archaeology and History annual round up of individual finds and discoveries for 2021 (S2)