n c i. The East Midland region showing the river Trent, the sites at Osmanthorpe and Newton, and neighbouring castra probably belonging to the pre-Flavian period. Open squares represent other possible sites. RECENT WORK AT OSMANTHORPE NOTTINGHAMSHIRE l 6 l a gazetteer of sites and findspots) by Whitwell. Work in the area has also been reconsidered by Wheater, particularly with regard to the possibility that a road ran along the valley in Roman times, and more recently by Turner. 3 The present note, while based on an independent review of published reports, has benefited greatly from their work. The Greet is a tributary of the Trent (FIG. 2), flowing southeast from areas of Bunter sandstone through clay soils to join the Trent in the gravels and alluvial soils of the wide Trent basin. Near the Trent the Greet flows through a very low-lying area; the central valley of the Greet is defined by watersheds to the southwest and (closer to the river) to the northeast , while the upper valley is divided by higher ground, like Camp Hill, between the Greet itself and tributaries. The clay soils of the central valley are fertile, and the lighter soils of the Trent basin have attracted settlement since prehistoric times. Cropmarks have been observed near the junction of the Greet with the Trent. At Fiskerton there is a double line of ditches cut by one of two intersecting pit-alignments. A little way northeast , at Rolleston, enclosures are recorded at three distinct locations. 4 Earthworks are known at Camp Hill and Combs Farm, both at Farnsfield, and (not far from the Greet valley) at Old Ox (Oxton), Fox Wood (Woodborough), and Burton Lodge (Burton Joyce). The date and nature of these earthworks is not yet fully explained. While they may be originally of pre-Roman date, Romano-British sherds have been found near the earthworks both at Camp Hill and at Combs Farm. 5 Another earthwork is recorded at Burgage Hill in Southwell, but is no longer visible. 6 The most important single excavated local Romano-British site is the villa at Southwell, which, according to Todd, bears comparison with the largest in the province. Two other villas, situated close to one another just outside the Greet valley, at Epperstone and Thurgarton, have also been excavated, but were much more modest. 7 Two military sites have recently been discovered from the air by D.N. Riley. One is a marching-camp at Farnsfield. Limited excavation at the northeast entrance of the camp
