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Introduction

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Archaeologists working on the £122 million Pepperhill to Cobham Widening Scheme, in Kent, have discovered a rich archaeological landscape revealing artefacts over 10,000 years old. The discoveries include a series of Roman high status burials dating from the 1st Century AD, which are amongst the best examples found in Britain to date and contain bronze vessels similar to ones found in the ancient remains at Pompeii.

The archaeological excavations were carried out by Oxford Archaeology working for Skanska Civil Engineering on the Highways Agency scheme to improve the A2 for the 100,000 vehicles that use the road each day.

Background to the Discoveries

Previous excavation in advance of the Channel Tunnel Rail Link (CTRL), which runs south of the new route of the A2, had suggested that ancient settlements were likely to be found during the construction of the new road. The approach to the archaeology was to strip as much of the route as possible in one go, providing an area nearly 3 km long and 50 metres wide for investigation. The density of archaeological features revealed was greater and more continuous than predicted, with settlements ranging from the Bronze Age to the late medieval period, as well as tools from early hunter-gatherers and Neolithic farmers.