Excavation of part of the Sheepen site in 1970. After beaker finds a gap in occupation at Sheepen occurs until the Late Bronze Age or early Iron Age, the latter represented by coarse hand made pottery. Belgic occupation was clustered on the sheltered east side of a small ridge running north to south across the main excavation area. A large number of post pits were founds, capable of taking timbers up to 1 foor in diameter and sunk up to 5 feet into the subsoil, probably represent the remains of Belgic buildings. Sevenof these pits are the remains of a rectangular or trapezoidal building although the rest form no recognizable pattern: the west end of the building is truncated by C18 gravel digging. Around the post holes are small rubbish sites containing quantities of Belgic pottery as well as imported luxury articles, eg, amphora fragments and an especially fine collection of broken millefiore and marbled glass. Large quantities of bone were recovered. Snail shells from the pits indicate the surrounding country to be lightly wooded: soil and pollen samples also collected. Excavation also produced a number of Belgic coins - of Cunobelinus and a Gaulish bronze de la Tour. <1> <2> The building located measured at least partly 15 x 20 feet, the fllor levels had been destroyed by poughing. The general occupation suggests a small settlement of not more than three wooden huts in partly cleared parkland, but still using continental imports. <3> There is scattered early Iron Age pottery from Sheepen Hill. <4>