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Evidence

Don't believe everything you are told! Ask “Where is the EVIDENCE?”

We need to look for clues and evidence from the past to find out about how people used to live. Sometimes there is evidence in the landscape and on buildings and in place names.
Sometimes we look at objects, known as “Artefacts” or “Finds”.
Some periods of history, (see Timeline), have left us lots of artefacts. In general, the more recent a time period is, the more artefacts there are, for example we are surrounded by buildings and objects from the industrial and modern ages.

When you click on the timeline you can see pictures of some of the many objects found in the Harbour area.
Try your luck on the Fiendish Finds Quiz below!
For more information, contact Fishbourne Roman Palace, Chichester District Museum or visit other local websites. See Useful Links in the Teachers Section.

Time Periods
Stone Age		450,000 - 2000 B.C.
Bronze Age		2000 - 600 B.C
Iron Age		600 - 43 A.D.
Roman Age		43 A.D. - 410 A.D.
Saxon and Viking Age		410 - 1066 A.D.
Medieval Age		1066 - 1484 A.D.
Industrial Age		1484 - 1899 A.D.
Modern Age		1900 - Today

	Talking Point “Why are there so many more artefacts from the Roman Age than from the later Saxon Age?”
	Fiendish Finds Test your skill in this Quiz, the answers are at the bottom of the page.

Stone Age

	Palaeolithic 450,000 – 12,000 BC Flint hand axe from Apuldram Hunting groups used hand axes for butchering animals. In the Palaeolithic Age they ate large animals such as rein deer. Can you guess why these axes are called “Hand Axes”? Copyright of Chichester District Museum. Top
	Flint borer from West Wittering Note the sharp point on this flint tool, it may have had many uses. Perhaps it was used to make holes in animal skins. Copyright of Chichester District Museum. Top
	Flint Scraper from West Wittering Scrapers had a sharpened edge. They were held in the hand and may have been used to remove meat from animal skins, so that the skins could be used. Copyright of Chichester District Museum. Top
	Axe from Cobnor This axe was polished. If you compare it with the axe from Apuldram you can see the difference. Archaeologists wonder why people would have spent hours polishing an axe. Was such an axe used, (it would have worked better than a chipped axe,) or was it to show how important the owner was? Copyright of Chichester District Museum.

	Mesolithic 12,000 – 4,000 BC Flint Microliths from Apuldram During the middle stone age (mesolithic) new types of Flint tools called “microliths” started to be used. Micro means “small” and lith means “stone”. These tiny flint blades were put onto wooden shafts making a tool similar to a saw blade today. Copyright of Chichester District Museum. Top
	Mesolithic scraper from Apuldram This flint scraper was used for preparing animal skins by removing the animals meat. During the Mesolithic Age the climate got warmer and people hunted red deer, and wild pig. Copyright of Chichester District Museum. Top
	Flint blades from Apuldram These longer flint blades are part of a collection of 166 Mesolithic flints found at Apuldram. Stone tools were versatile and may have been used for any appropriate task. Think of tools today, a needle may have one main use - sewing, but if you need a sharp point for another reason you would also use the needle for that job. Copyright of Chichester District Museum.
	Flint Core from Apuldram A flint core is the piece of flint left behind when many small flint blades have been removed. You can see the different sides of this core showing the shape and size of flint pieces which have been removed. Copyright of Chichester District Museum. Top

	Neolithic 4,000 – 2,000 BC Retouched flakes from Chidham Beach These flint flakes have been removed from the flint core and then reshaped to give them a sharper edge. They may have been used to prepare wooden arrow shafts or fish traps. Copyright of Chichester District Museum.
	Flint Cores from Chidham These flint cores and other flints on the beach at Chidham suggests that people in the Neolithic age were using the salt marsh area, preparing tools and dealing with meat or fish there. There is no evidence that people were living there all year round. Copyright of Chichester District Museum. Top
	Scrapers from Chidham Scrapers were used for tasks needing a sharp edge, such as preparing animal skins. In the Neolithic Age people started to farm, as well as hunting and gathering. This changed the way in which they lived as well as the type of food which they ate. They also mined flint underground to use and to trade for other things. Copyright of Chichester District Museum.
	Pottery from Chidham This is stone age pottery, part of a large pot. Neolithic people were producing more than enough food to eat, which gave them some spare food to trade for other goods.The grit was added to the clay to strengthen it. Copyright of Chichester District Museum. Top
	Pottery from Chidham This pottery is thick and rough; it has a slight curve, which could mean it was part of a large bowl. It could have been used for food preparation and storage. Copyright of Chichester District Museum. Top
	Neolithic Axe from Fishbourne This flint axe head was polished to make it smooth. It would have been hafted, this means it would have been fixed with glue or string onto a handle. Copyright of Chichester District Museum. Top
	Polished Axe Head from Apuldram Flint Axe head polished with sand. To make a polished flint axe head, a piece of rough flint must be shaped by hitting it with another piece then chipped around the edge to make itsharp. Polishing must have taken many hours. This probably means that a polished axe would have been worth a lot to its owner. Copyright of Chichester District Museum. Top

Bronze Age 2,000 – 600 BC

Bronze Age pot from Chichester

Go and see it on display at display at Chichester District Museum.

Pottery from Fishbourne

This is part of a late Bronze Age Bucket Urn, found at
Fishbourne.

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Burial Urn

This urn would have been buried with the cremated (burnt) remains of a person who lived about 3000 years ago. It was found on Thorney Island.

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Iron Age 600BC - 43AD

Pieces of Iron Age Pottery
These pieces of pot were found at Fishbourne Roman Palace and are on display there. Although they are Iron Age, they probably date from around the time the Romans landed in the Harbour, in about 43AD.

Bowl from Thorney

This bowl was found on Thorney Island. It is believed to be about 2500 years old.

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Celtic Stone Head

This is an Iron Age carved stone head. It was found at Bosham.

Photograph courtesy of Angela Bromley-Martin

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Roman Age 43 - 410AD

	Briquetage from Iron Age and Roman Age salt working site at Chidham. Briquetage means “brick-work”. Salt water was taken from the sea at high tide,and the water evaporated off leaving the salt behind. The sun and wind started this off and the process was finished by boiling the water over fires. This salt was useful to stop meat rotting. If you see a place called “Salterns” in the Harbour Area this means salt was likely to have been produced there at some time. Copyright of Chichester District Museum. Top
	Statue Head from Bosham This stone head is from an enormous statue dug up near Bosham Church. The face is very worn, making it difficult to know who it was a statue of. Could it have been the Emperor Vespasian or Trajan? It was suggested that it was the Emperor Nero, since after his death many statues of him were disfigured (faces bashed off!). Does it look like anyone you know? The large size of the head suggests that it was a statue for a public place or building. Go and visit it at Chichester District Museum. Top
	New Forest Ware Pottery Vase from West Wittering This decorated pot was made in the New Forest in the 3rd to 4th Century. Because it was found complete (although it needed to be mended) it may have been put in a grave during a burial. Why do you think someone would put a pot into a grave beside a dead person? Try to think of 3 possible reasons! Copyright of Chichester District Museum. Top
	Ceramic Pipe from Fishbourne This is a water pipe about 50 cm long, part of a pipeline used to carry water to Fishbourne Palace. The ends are differently shaped, so that one piece of pipe can fit into the next. Can you think how the left end is shaped? Why was it important that the pipes fitted together well? Top
	Amphora Base from Fishbourne Amphora were used to transport oils and wines from the rest of the Roman Empire to Chichester Harbour. It was an important local place for trade, some goods coming into the country, some going out to other parts of the world. This is just the pointed base of an amphora, about 25cm long. The whole thing would have been big and heavy to carry. How do you think the Romans stood them up? Sometimes they were stacked sideways and sealed with a bung of clay or wood. Top
	Flue Tile from Emsworth A flue was a sort of hot air chimney which went up the walls of Roman houses to allow the hot air from the Hypocaust underfloor heating to warm the rooms above. Kept in Emsworth Museum.
	Flue Tiles from Emsworth Flue tiles were decorated with comb markings, because they would show in the wall of the room they were in and would be covered with plaster. The plaster would stick to the comb marks better than to a smooth tile. Kept in Emsworth Museum Top
	Oyster from Emsworth/Warblington Kept in Emsworth Museum Top
	Roman Pottery found in the Chichester Harbour area Kept in Emsworth Museum Top
	Rowlands Castle Ware found in the Chichester Harbour area Rowlands Castle Ware was made before the Romans arrived in Britain, and continued to be made and used in our area. Notice the finger mark decoration and the colour of the clay. Kept at Emsworth Museum Top
	Roof Tiles from Fishbourne Roman Palace Imbrex (curved) and tegula (straight) tiles were used together to form a waterproof roof.
	Tegula Roof Tile from Fishbourne This roof tile was probably made from local clay and fired in a kiln, possibly at Copperas Point, near Dell Quay. The hole was for a nail to fix the tile to the roof. Top
	Roof section from Fishbourne Roman Palace Top
	Brick from Fishbourne Roman Palace Which animal walked across this piece of clay while it was still wet? Top
	Helmet from the 1st century This legionaire's helmet is kept in Lewes Museum but the copy is at Fishbourne Roman Palace. The soldier who dropped it into the Harbour water probably got into a lot of trouble! Can you see which type of creature made a home on it? Top
	Ring Made from copper alloy, this finger ring wraps round and finishes with 2 snake heads. It was found on the Western side of the Fishbourne Channel about 600 metres south of the palace, where an early timber building, and later a masonry building stood. Top
	Knife Handle This is from a very small knife. This handle is only about 5cms long. It was found in the same place as the ring. Kept in Fishbourne Roman Palace Museum. Top
	Planter Pot This pot was found south of the Palace in a water channel that may have linked to the top of Chichester Harbour. The pot was used to grow small plants or cuttings. The holes in the sides were for water to drain out and to let air reach the roots. Kept in Fishbourne Roman Palace Museum. Top
	Horn Comb This is a rare example of worked horn from a Roman site in Britain. It is in good condition because it became buried in very wet soil. Found in the channel south of Fishbourne Roman Palace. Top
	Metal Bell Made from bronze, this small bell measures about 4cm, What do you think it was used for? On display at Fishbourne Roman Palace. Top
	Gold Intaglio Ring This gold ring had a dark green stone in the centre. It measures 17mm in diameter, so would have fitted a small finger. It dates from the 1st century. From Fishbourne Roman Palace. Top
	Gaming counters What do we have today that is like these gaming counters? From Fishbourne Roman Palace. Top
	Samian Ware Bowl samian large.jpg This bowl would have been used in the dining room, as it is very fine quality. It dates from the 1st century. From Fishbourne Roman Palace. Top
	Footprint Tile This tile bears the imprint of a foot and a shoe, both from about a size 13 (child's size). From Fishbourne Roman Palace. Top

Saxon Age 410 - 1066AD

Saxon part of Warblington Church

This shows the earliest part of the church, which would have been much smaller than the present church. It may be that only the important people of the manor would have sat inside, and the rest would have standing in the churchyard. There is a door inside, high up in the nave, which may have led to an outside pulpit. The church is built of flint and stone.

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Bosham Church

This Saxon church is thought to date to around 900 AD, on the site of an earlier Roman basilica. The original nave and tower are the earliest parts of the church, with medieval additions. King Harold came to pray here before setting off for Normandy in 1064, this scene is shown on the Bayeux Tapestry.

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Medieval 1066 - 1485AD

	Jeton from Broadbridge, Bosham A jeton is a metal counter used for accounting boards. It could not be used as money. This jeton is made from copper alloy and was made in around the 14th century. Copyright of Chichester District Museum. Top
	Cut Medieval Longcross Quarter Penny from Broadbridge, Bosham This penny was cut into quarters so that it could be spent on items worth less than a penny! It dates from the 14th century and is made of silver. Copyright of Chichester District Museum. Top
	Encaustic Tile from The Gatehouse, Broadbridge, Bosham Encaustic tiles were usually found in churches. They were patterned using a mould and then coloured glazes applied. Copyright of Chichester District Museum Top
	Tiles from Warblington Church Late 14th century Encaustic floor tiles. A wooden stamp was pressed into the soft clay, slip was poured on and then scaped back to leave the design showing. A lead glaze finished the tile. You can see them on the altar steps.
	Warblington Castle p6190031 The single, octagonal tower that remains is part of the gatehouse of a grand moated house built in about 1520 by Margaret Pole, Countess of Salisbury. It would have had state rooms, a hall, a chapel, apartments and an armoury. King Henry VIII and King Edward VII stayed there and enjoyed hunting in the park. The castle is in private hands and is best viewed from Warblington Churchyard. Top
	Thorney Church The Church of St. Nicholas dates to the early 13th Century. Top
	Apuldram Church The church as it looks now was built in about 1250, remodelling an earlier church. Inside there are encaustic floor tiles. Until 1447 the bodies of the dead at Apuldram had to be taken to Bosham for burial. Corpse Lane nearby may mark the route. For other medieval churches look at villages in *Harbour Places. Top*

Industrial Age 1485 - 1899AD

Anything older than 100 years and less than 500 years is evidence of this time. Some of you will even have things as old as this in your homes, certainly many buildings in the harbour villages date from this time. Visit one of the Harbour villages to see what you can spot. Mills such as those at Langstone Quay were built during the Industrial Age.

Langstone water and wind mills

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Modern Age 1900 - Today

Spitfire Kept at Tangmere Military Aviation Museum

Anything younger than 100 years is evidence of this time, even your own things! Some people find it interesting to study how the Harbour was used in the two World Wars, when the Harbour was adapted to help Britain fight and win.

Spitfire Kept at Tangmere Military Aviation Museum.

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IN THIS SECTION

Places

Looking back in time

Finding the Evidence

Virtual Field Trips

Panoramic Views

Image Gallery

RELATED LINKS

Timelines

Evidence

Palaeolithic 450,000 – 12,000 BC

Mesolithic 12,000 – 4,000 BC

Neolithic 4,000 – 2,000 BC