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The Romans in the Hambleden ValleyThe project has received funding for 2009 to November 2010 from the HLF, with final funding assistance for the monograph printing from the Chilterns Conservation Board (2011) Director: Dr Jill Eyers contact us 13 Pusey Way, Lane End, Bucks, HP14 3LG We have so far accomplished far more than I can put into this website and writing up is now under way. To get a flavour of the site Alison Jewsbury has prepared the following video link of Mill End and Yewden villa reconstructions as well as our own app which can be downloaded for free: The video link
is as follows (or do a search when you are on Youtube for "Hambleden Roman
villa" , which will now bring up 3 videos, and select the video "The Roman Villas of Hambleden on Google
Earth") for a tour around both villa sites. This video takes you from Mill End villa on the Thames and shows
the relationship between it and the Yewden villa complex a short distance up the
valley. Using Google Earth it sets both villa locations into the landscape. The
villa reconstructions have been carefully worked out using Cocks' 1912 plans
with the archaeological evidence, they were then checked by Allen Levy who is an
architect and a member of our team. Enjoy! 1. VIDEO on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8VVN_7LxHs&feature=channel The link to the app that can be downloaded showing the
Yewden villa complex reconstructions is: There is another video which will show where the 97 infant burials were locate. These were mostly buried in an area that the excavator, Mr Cocks, called the Yard, which is north of the buildings. However, there are 2 burials under the floor of the 2nd House and one within the top of, and others around, Pit 6 next to the 3rd House. Note the accompanying text to the drop down menu beneath the video.
3. INFANT LOCATION video on YouTube (where on site the 97 infants were
located: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kw6huPcXgUE
4. INFANTICIDE (a detailed explanation, a frank review, with full
information and well illustrated) APP. It can be downloaded from the Apple
Appstore or Android Marketplace.
Events for Hambleden are now finished but please look back here for further information on the possible October 2011 to 2012 programme NOTE: Chiltern Archaeology is in partnership with the Bucks Earth Heritage project 'Rocks and You' which includes archaeology within the remit of the HLF project. To see events and join in go to their website: www.bucksgeology.org.uk 'Seeking Sarsens'This part of the project is still continuing and is worthwhile research for th enext part of the programme - anytime you are walking in the Chilterns, please look out for the different types of sarsens as shown below: The Yewden villa produced a number of sarsen quern stones. This type of sarsen is different from any other seen in Bucks and surrounding counties. It is a puddingstone type (that is full of round pebbles of flint) and we call it the 'Hambleden-type puddingstone'. However, on looking at the Bucks County Museum collections we discovered there were some 'Hambleden type' sarsen querns turning up elsewhere in Bucks - such as Stone in West Bucks. The village of Stone does not have sarsens like this (or any sarsens as far as we know). This means they were brought in - but from where? If Hambleden is the only place this type of sarsen occurs, then it would seem that the Romano-British population of Hambleden were sending out querns from the valley. We need to check this by finding out where sarsens can be found. This is where you come in - you are vital to this project! We need people to go out and enjoy the delights of walking the Chiltern Hills (Goring to beyond Ivinghoe if possible). Take a map (or GPS better if you have one!) to locate where you find sarsens, and a digital camera will be very handy to photograph the finds. I can then look at the images to assess in the first instance what type we have. I can then visit to record those selected. Please send them to me (as <1 MB files) to j.eyers@btopenworld.com describing the site with grid reference if possible. What are sarsens and what do they look like? The name 'sarsen' is actually a corruption of the word Saracen, which means 'stranger in a field' - and that is how you find them, isolated blocks of stone sitting in fields or on slopes of dry valleys. The rock is exceptionally hard as it is made from quartz sand grains or quartz pebbles cemented together with quartz. Quartz is the toughest common mineral on Earth and is why these rocks make excellent querns (for grinding cereals). Geologists call this rock 'silcrete' and it is believed to have formed around 20 million years ago, but this has never been dated properly. There are two basic types: a sandy type (best known from Denner Hill in the High Wycombe area) and a pebbly type of which there are many varieties: the Hertfordshire, the Bradenham and the Hambleden are three examples of Puddingstone. Photos appear below to show you what some of the common types look like. We need people to walk all parts of the Chilterns. Any takers? Please let me know where you want to walk and I will tick off the localities. Sarsen photos
Photos 1 and 2 The sandy type (Denner Hill type) here seen at Aston Rowant Nature reserve, Stokenchurch (above) and the close-up (below) shows a grey colour (which can be beige sometimes) and a very distinct 'sugary' look to the rock when fresh.
Photo 3 (above) Bradenham Puddingstone when fresh. The pebbles can be very brightly coloured too in reds, yellow-orange and orange-browns as well as dark brown. A finer sandy matrix surrounds pebbles.
Photo 4 The Hambleden type pudding stone, here (above) slightly weathered, but still showing the characteristic dark rings around the edge of the flint pebbles. Dark rings can be very wide or very thin.
Photo 5 (above) is a Roman quern from Yewden Villa, Hambleden made from the local puddingstone sarsen.
Photos 6 and 7 Hertfordshire pudding stone this varies in its appearance from very dark pebbles and matrix above to much smaller pebbles and paler below (the scale is centimetres).
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