| Popis: |
In November 2017 Archaeology South-East carried out an analysis of the outer bailey wall of Pevensey Castle, East Sussex. The aim of this work was to identify the phasing of the wall's post-Roman repairs, prior to the planned removal of vegetation and associated consolidation and maintenance. Pevensey Castle is located on the East Sussex coast, first constructed c. 280-300 AD aspart of the network of Saxon Shore forts which extended from what is now Hampshire to Norfolk. During the post-Roman and Anglo-Saxon periods the focus of settlement at Pevensey would probably have lain within the circuit of the Roman walls, which appear to have remained in continuous occupation as an important central place. Soon after the Norman Conquest of England a castle was established within the eastern corner of the fort, and the old settlement was removed to the present extramural High Street. The castle and town developed thereafter, before the former gradually lost its strategic value and was finally abandoned during the 16th century. This study has identified evidence for a number of construction breaks and repairs to the Roman fort, dating from the Anglo-Saxon period to the 20th century. It has suggested broad phases and dates for these repairs, and entered into further discussion of areas of particular interest and structural complexity. A conclusion highlights the value in undertaking mortar analysis to confirm and more accurately date the summary of the fort's development presented here. |
