In the mid-1st century AD, a few years after the Roman invasion of Britain in AD 43, a major Roman road, today called Akeman Street, was laid out. This connected the Roman towns of Verulamium (St Albans) in Hertfordshire and Cirencester in Gloucestershire, and part of it ran through Fleet Marston, where the Roman settlement subsequently developed.
The excavation exposed a section of road surface, as well as rows of conjoined plots that were established either side of the road. These plots date to the mid-2nd century onwards and show how the settlement expanded beyond its core area (which remained unexcavated). The activity within these plots was of a mixed nature. Large amounts of pottery, animal bone, and objects such as spoons, dice, and gaming counters, suggest domestic and leisure activity, but coins, metalled surfaces, metalworking waste and ovens point to activities of a more industrial or commercial character. These activities catered for travellers as much as inhabitants.
A second well-made Roman road was encountered in another area of excavation. This is provisionally identified as the road connecting the settlement with the Roman town at Dorchester‐on-Thames. Settlement features here were sparse, suggesting that this part of the site was largely confined to farming. A corndryer built after the late 3rd century AD was used to process grain for storage or market. Such structures were also associated with malting and brewing.
One of the outstanding discoveries was a late Roman cemetery of over 400 burials. The size of the cemetery suggests that there was a population influx in the later Roman period, linked perhaps to increased agricultural production. Preliminary examination of the skeletons has revealed that some individuals had had a hard life, consistent with heavy toil in the fields. As is typical of late Roman cemeteries, grave goods were few, but where present included pottery drinking vessels, coins, and beads. Nails attest to the use of coffins and occasionally stones were used as pillows. Several decapitated individuals, the head being placed between the legs or next to the feet, were recorded. While it is possible that these represent criminals or other outcasts, decapitation appears to have been a normal, albeit marginal, burial rite during the late Roman period. Similar burials were found at another OA site, this time in Wintringham, Cambridgeshire, which featured on Digging for Britain earlier in the year.