Hamwih (or Hamton), the 8th- and 9th-century predecessor of medieval Southampton, is situated to the east of the later town opposite the Roman site of Bitterne (Clausentum) on the banks of the River Itchen in southern England. Hamwih was discovered in the 19th century by brick-earth diggers. Excavations of the site in 1946-50 revealed a wealth of West Saxon and traded Carolingian artefacts. Subsequent open-area excavations since the 1960s have demonstrated that Hamwih was a very large Middle Saxon settlement which once covered more than 40 hectares; a drastic economic decline terminated its life in the later 9th century. Much of the topography of the early town has now been established; it had a gridded street plan, tenement divisions, and several post-built structures including a boat-shaped house. There were also extensive areas of storage pits, at least four cemeteries and possibly two contemporary churches. The unique collection of imported pottery, glass, coins and other traded goods recovered demonstrate its strong contacts with Caro-lingia, while the rich faunal evidence suggests the economic importance of the local Hampshire basin and marine resources. Contemporary documentary sources imply that a royal site may have existed alongside Hamwih but archaeologists have not yet succeeded in finding it.
The Macmillan dictionary of archaeology, Ruth D. Whitehouse, 1983Copied