Introduction
We were invited to evaluate the geoarchaeology of a site at Beehive Yard, Bath, to help the excavating archaeologists, both in understanding the origins of the deposits and in assessing the archaeological potential of the site.
Background
The bedrock in Bath is known to include calcareous clays, quartz dominated sands and a wide variety of limestones including the Great Oolite or Bath Stone, and the soils in the area would have been similar to typical calcareous pelosols of the Evesham 1 association, which are poorly drained, clayey and calcareous. The site is situated on the lower slopes of the Avon valley and within the flood range of the river.
Deposits exposed in the sides of a trench were examined and samples were taken for later analysis.
Findings
When we examined the samples they showed a surprising amount of variation, which was not apparent during excavation as post-depositional processes had obscured most of the visible evidence of depositional structure. Analyses revealed however that there was a significant difference between deposits that had been dumped in a single mass, those had built up over a short amount of time and those which were exposed long enough to develop a soil profile.
Conclusions
From our investigations we were able to tell the excavating archaeologists that the deposits were internally more complex than was at first evident, but contained no direct structural evidence for cultivation or the processes of deposition.