An archaeological excavation was carried out in the central part of Area Q, following the second phase (stage 1b) of trial-trenched evaluation in 2004 (ECC2983), ahead of the development of the Garrison Alienated Land (GAL), Colchester Garrison. <1><2> Area Q comprised a 6.8ha area located to the east of Berechurch Road, approximately 400m north of the Roman Barracks, and situated on the northern slope of the Roman River valley. The land was recently in arable cultivation but has not been worked agriculturally since the 2003 harvest. A single sherd of Late Neolithic Peterborough Ware was found in one of the post-holes of a four-post structure (undated but possibly late Bronze Age or Iron Age), which is likely to be residual. However, the presence of this sherd hints at small scale Neolithic activity in the area. Residual pieces of Late Bronze Age pottery were found in later features. In addition, seventy sherds of Late Bronze Age/Early Iron Age pottery were recovered from a tree throw hole. Two Roman field boundary ditches were excavated in Area Q, the first orientated north-west to south-east and the second orientated north-east to south-west (i.e. at a right-angle to the first ditch). The two ditches define three separate fields. Both ditches produced residual prehistoric pottery, and were dated to the 1st to the 3rd century (with some 4th century pottery in their uppermost fills). One produced sufficient quantities of Roman pottery (including two near complete vessels, possibly from disturbed burials) to indicate Roman occupation in the vicinity. Two small irregular silt-filled hollows were probably created by the continuous use of the area by stock. A series of associated stake hole/post-holes may also indicate the presence of an enclosure fence around both areas. Three, north-south orientated features are interpreted as inhumation burials although no human bone had survived (due to the high acidity of the gravel). The stage 1b evaluation followed an earlier (stage 1a) evaluation in 2002 (4 trial trenches; ECC2553).<3>