Aeon Archaeology

Aeon Archaeology At Aeon Archaeology we pride ourselves in offering professional archaeological contractual and consultancy services.

We’ve recently been out on site in Bangor carrying out a strip, map and record excavation—and we’ve uncovered something ...
10/04/2026

We’ve recently been out on site in Bangor carrying out a strip, map and record excavation—and we’ve uncovered something of a mystery.

An earlier phase of evaluation picked up the corner of a feature that was radiocarbon dated to between 3951–3651 BC, placing it firmly in the early Neolithic. At the time, it was thought to be part of an enclosure ditch. But now that we’ve exposed the full extent… things aren’t quite so straightforward.

The feature turns out to be short—no more than around 4m in length—and distinctly irregular, with a very undulating form. In truth, it looks far more like a burrow or even a badger sett than a formal prehistoric ditch.

So what are we looking at?

One possibility is that this is an early Neolithic feature—perhaps a small windbreak slot or a shallow ditch associated with burning, maybe even linked to vegetation clearance. The soft, worked ground could then have attracted badgers at a much later date, who reworked it into a sett.

But there’s another, more intriguing possibility…

Could this represent evidence of the smoking of badger setts? This was a traditional practice used to flush badgers from their burrows by introducing smoke into the tunnels, typically to enable hunting. It is best documented from the medieval period through to the post-medieval and early modern periods, but is also likely to have deeper roots as a long-standing countryside practice.

Badger remains have been recovered from some Neolithic sites, though they’re not especially common. They may have been hunted for their pelts, and possibly for meat as well—so human interaction with badgers at this time is certainly plausible. If this feature does relate to sett smoking, it could represent an activity taking place in the Neolithic that has, until now, gone unrecognised in the archaeological record.

For now, the feature remains something of a puzzle. With further analysis we may get closer to an answer—but equally, this could be one of those rare cases where the full story is lost to time.

Either way, it’s a fascinating reminder that even the smallest features can open up big questions… especially when badgers might be involved.

23/07/2025

Roman Wroxeter (Viroconium Cornoviorum): born as a legionary fortress c. AD 55, it ballooned into Britain’s 4th-largest city, spreading over 70–78 ha — about the size of Pompeii. Its 7 m-high “Old Work” bath-house wall is still the tallest free-standing Roman ruin in England, and in 2024 diggers even revealed a vivid dolphin-and-fish mosaic beneath the old street grid. History is still surfacing in these Shropshire fields!

Our Aeon field team have been monitoring groundworks for a new waterpipe just outside the famous Roman town of Wroxeter ...
23/07/2025

Our Aeon field team have been monitoring groundworks for a new waterpipe just outside the famous Roman town of Wroxeter (Viroconium), one of the largest urban centres in Roman Britain. Within the trench limits we uncovered a well-laid cobbled surface. With no associated artefacts it’s hard to pin down a date: its position makes a Roman origin entirely plausible, but a medieval association with the adjacent St Andrew’s Church is also possible.

Working with the installation team, we modified the pipe depth to avoid disturbing the feature—so the archaeology remains preserved in situ. A great example of infrastructure delivery and heritage stewardship working hand-in-hand.


🔥 Lost to Fire, Found in the Earth — A Forgotten Hall Unearthed in CheshireBuried beneath centuries of soil, the foundat...
28/05/2025

🔥 Lost to Fire, Found in the Earth — A Forgotten Hall Unearthed in Cheshire

Buried beneath centuries of soil, the foundations of a once-grand hall have emerged during our recent archaeological work in Cheshire. This large, rectangular building doesn’t appear on any historic maps — yet its footprint speaks volumes.

Clues from the past suggest this is almost certainly the manor described as “ruined” in 1625, later rebuilt in timber and plaster with tall gables, only to vanish again in a devastating fire that swept through the town in 1752. One chilling account recalls:

“About noon… the fire was thereby communicated to several parts of the town… in about two hours’ time the far greater part… was burned down to the ground.”

Gone in hours. Forgotten for centuries. Until now.

This discovery offers a rare glimpse into a vanished chapter of Cheshire’s past — a story of destruction, resilience, and the remarkable traces history leaves behind.


Like London buses…No moats for ages, then suddenly seven turn up at once (well, sort of).Our latest work at Knockin has ...
23/05/2025

Like London buses…
No moats for ages, then suddenly seven turn up at once (well, sort of).

Our latest work at Knockin has revealed an inner and outer moat, along with five drainage gullies — clear evidence that this area was once heavily waterlogged. The low-lying ground at the far end of the photo was likely a marsh or pond.

Though the moats have been ploughed down over time (now no deeper than 80cm and in places much less), they would originally have been much more substantial.

Curiously, no artefacts have been found so far — not even pottery, which is usually plentiful where people lived and worked. This absence actually tells us something: this part of the outer bailey was probably not built over, but instead used as open land or grazing paddocks.

More updates soon as the story of Knockin continues to unfold!


Still no sign of the elusive moat (yet!) at our Knockin site—but we have uncovered something just as fascinating: clear ...
22/05/2025

Still no sign of the elusive moat (yet!) at our Knockin site—but we have uncovered something just as fascinating: clear traces of medieval ridge and furrow cultivation.

This distinctive pattern in the landscape—long, parallel ridges separated by troughs—dates back to the medieval period and shows how the land was ploughed for arable farming using ox-drawn ploughs. The presence of these features outside the known boundaries of the castle’s outer bailey tells us that people were growing crops in areas beyond the formal limits of the defended enclosure.

It’s a reminder that the medieval landscape was a busy, working environment, shaped not just by fortification but by everyday life and agriculture.


This week we’re back in Shropshire, exploring the village of Knockin in search of the lost moat of the castle’s outer ba...
20/05/2025

This week we’re back in Shropshire, exploring the village of Knockin in search of the lost moat of the castle’s outer bailey. Built by the powerful le Strange family in the 12th century, Knockin Castle once stood as a key Norman stronghold on the Welsh border — and we’re tracing the subtle earthworks it left behind.

Knockin Castle was built around 1154 by Guy le Strange — one of the Norman marcher lords charged with defending the English frontier. The le Strange family held it for generations.

Its location wasn’t random — Knockin stood on an important route to Wales, helping to secure Norman control over contested borderlands during a turbulent time.

Though the castle fell into ruin by the 1500s, parts of the motte and outer earthworks (including a possible moat) still survive — though they’re easy to miss unless you know where to look!

The name ‘Knockin’ might come from the Old English cnoc, meaning hillock or mound — a fitting nod to the castle’s raised motte.

We’ll update you later in the week on what we find!

A lot of people don’t realise that soil can be surprisingly colourful—there’s often a whole rainbow beneath your feet! 🌈...
16/05/2025

A lot of people don’t realise that soil can be surprisingly colourful—there’s often a whole rainbow beneath your feet! 🌈 This week we were excavating in Shropshire, where the underlying sand gave the base of the trench a vivid red hue.

On other sites, you might see yellows, greys, browns, blacks, greens, or even bright blues. We call this layer “the natural”—it’s usually glacial material deposited at the end of the last Ice Age around 10,000 years ago (think: giant dirty snowball melting over the landscape).

Soil colour also changes with water content. In waterlogged conditions, natural clays can turn blue or green—what we call a gley.

And if you’re here for the archaeology: check out the rather handsome post-medieval stone wall in the trench. It’s not shown on 19th-century maps, suggesting it’s earlier, though pottery in the same layer indicates it’s probably no earlier than the 18th century—likely part of a former farm building that once fronted the road.

23/02/2025

Archaeologists at the site of High Tarns Farm in Cumbria have unearthed the largest Viking Age building ever found in Britain, which measures 165 feet long and 50 feet wide and dates to between A.D. 990 and 1040.

archaeology.org/news/2025/02/21/archaeologists-excavate-largest-viking-age-building-in-britain/

(Grampus Heritage and Training Limited)

When the sun’s shining and we’re doing what we love ❤️ 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿
20/03/2024

When the sun’s shining and we’re doing what we love ❤️ 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

We’re currently undertaking a watching brief during renovation works to The Butchers’ Market, Wrexham. The story goes th...
27/02/2024

We’re currently undertaking a watching brief during renovation works to The Butchers’ Market, Wrexham. The story goes that many people took shelter in the cellars beneath the market during German bombing raids in WW2…so how poignant to find ‘1942’ engraved into the wall render. Was this done by one of the people taking shelter? It’s very likely.

Oh and there’s also a recipe for bacon 😂

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