Introduction
We were invited to evaluate the geoarchaeology of a site at Kingsmead Motors, 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 of the area was known to be calcareous marine sediments of the Lower Jurassic Lias formation, and we found the soils to be ground water gley soils. The site lay within the modern built up area of Bath, on the alluvial floodplain of the River Avon. The site had been raised above the level of the Avon floodplain during the late Georgian reclamation.
Five samples for analysis were collected from the site by the excavating archaeologists.
Findings
The deposits were found to contain a great deal of interesting evidence as to their origins, and observations on site and more samples to study in the laboratory may have made it possible to gain a better understanding of their origins and how they came to be deposited. The size of the particles in the samples was similar to the local silty clays and may have originally come from the river alluvium or the underlying Lias clay.
Conclusions
From our investigations, we were able to tell the excavating archaeologists that these deposits were likely to have an industrial origin, and appear to have formed from prepared materials which may have been subjected to prolonged heating. The variety of evidence suggests that these deposits have had a fairly complex history of weathering and mixing and it is not likely that further analysis will shed further light on the origins of these deposits.