A View from above shows Iron Age settlement

Historic England released a photo showing an Iron Age/Roman settlement north of Branch Road as one of the leading archaeological finds using aerial surveying.

We can’t hold the image on our website due to copyright ownership by Historic England but if you click this text link it will show it.

It is the field to the north west of the corner of Branch Road and Long Road and was taken in 2015.

Historic England say:

“The dry summer of 2015 proved an exciting year for cropmark discoveries on the Cambridgeshire claylands. The cropmarks are caused by buried archaeological remains which hold more moisture than the surrounding undisturbed soil.
They helped experts to see and appreciate the true extent and complexity of this Iron Age/Roman settlement in Comberton. The cropmarks show tracks leading to ditched enclosures, some with round houses. Double ditched trackways can be seen approaching some of the enclosures. “

The find at Comberton is one of just nine featured by Historic England to mark the Festival of Archaeology, showing some of the top finds made in recent years.

Duncan Wilson, chief executive of Historic England, said:

“Our aerial archaeologists continue to transform our knowledge of England’s past from traces visible from the air.
We identify and record the archaeology in our landscapes from crop marks and soil marks this way. This not only supports archaeological research, but also gives us a better understanding of which parts of the land can be developed and which parts need further investigation because of what lies beneath.”
The photo featuring Comberton is the first in this news release from Historic England on 28th July 2016.

Cambridge Aerial Photos, Cambridge University also shows an earlier picture of crop marks over the ‘hill to the north’