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A Pre-A.D. 43 Ditch at Fishbourne Roman Palace, Chichester

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 March 2010

John Manley
Affiliation:
Sussex Past, Lewesceo@sussexpast.co.uk
David Rudkin
Affiliation:
Sussex Past, Lewesceo@sussexpast.co.uk

Abstract

This article details the first unambiguous evidence for occupation in the Late Iron Age, dating to around 10 b.c.-a.d. 25, at the site that was to develop into the Roman Palace at Fishbourne (near Chichester, Sussex). The collection of sealed and well-dated imported and local pottery, accompanied by food refuse and a copper-alloy scabbard fitting, suggests significant activity at the site a generation prior to the Roman Conquest of a.d. 43. The material was found in the bottom of a ditch that had been deliberately back-filled. As such this discovery opens a new chapter in the remarkable story of Fishbourne.

Type
Articles
Copyright
Copyright © John Manley 2005. Exclusive Licence to Publish: The Society for the Promotion of Roman Studies

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