The Abbey Farm Training Excavation, Phase 3, 1998
Once again I have to report that with the kind permission of farmer Mr Jack Clifton, a third phase of the training excavation was carried out between the 22nd August and the 4th September 1998. All places on the excavation were taken up, with the bulk of the trainees attending for a second and even a third year. The age range of the trainees was wide, with most coming from Kent, the Greater London area, and the southeast.
This year for training purposes the body of trainees was divided into three teams, each with their own supervisor, excavation area, and an equal share of complete beginners. Each team was encouraged to demonstrate the techniques learned in the previous year or years, talking their way through excavating the section with their supervisor step by step, and sharing their tasks with the 'freshman' trainees.
Excavations
This year's excavations exposed a bath house with a hypocaust system, and an internal latrine having a long sluice leading into a field ditch, see Rooms 20-27 in Fig 1. It was not, as first supposed, a western extension to the west wing of the villa, but a separate building connected to the villa's outer corridor by a short piece of masonry, perhaps a buttress. Also revealed was a southward apsidal extension from the end of the west wing, Room 28. This will require further work in a subsequent phase of excavation as we ran out of time. Another discovery was that the villa had an inner corridor running around the courtyard formed by the east and west wings and main range. With part of the building still to excavate, and much material to be processed it is much to early to theorise as to the chronology of the villa, and the evident phases of construction, demolition, and re-construction.
As things stand, and if funding is approved, it looks as though we will be digging again in 1999, probably in the last week of August and first week of September. Our aims will be to tidy away those few parts of the building that require further attention. We will also be examining the villa's walled enclosed compound, a smaller Roman building situated about 200m southeast of the villa, and a Belgic settlement about 60m north of the northern compound wall. Finally, I would like to thank my friends, supervisor/instructors, Emma Boast, Keith Parfitt, and Tim Allen, for their skill and enthusiasm that went so far to ensure the success of the training excavation, and the volunteers from Thanet Archaeological Society and the Deal-Dover Group, for loyally doing much routine work, so allowing the trainees to concentrate on acquiring and improving skills.
Dave Perkins
Minster Excavation 1999: Fourth Season. The excavation on the Roman villa estate at Abbey Farm, Minster-in Thanet is planned for the two weeks beginning Saturday the 21st August 1999 (subject to final agreement with the farmer). Participants aged 16 or over, wishing to attend for one or two weeks will be most welcome. For details and enrollment arrangements please contact: David Bacchus.