Structures of Roman fort defences never before seen in Britain have been unearthed during an excavation in Wales.
Archaeologists have uncovered sections of the defences of the 1st century AD building at the dig at school playing fields.
A defence tower, which allowed soldiers to shoot at gate attackers, has been found partially set outside the ramparts of the fort which was occupied until at least the 3rd century.
Read the rest of this article...
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Monday, February 21, 2011
Roman fort dig near Neath school unearths new secrets
Excavation work on the site of a Roman fort near a school has revealed what archaeologists believe are structures never previously seen in the UK.
The dig in the playing fields of Dwr-y-Felin Comprehensive Upper School in Neath has uncovered sections of the defences of the 1st Century building.
These include a defence tower partially set outside its ramparts allowing soldiers to shoot at gate attackers.
Read the rest of this article...
The dig in the playing fields of Dwr-y-Felin Comprehensive Upper School in Neath has uncovered sections of the defences of the 1st Century building.
These include a defence tower partially set outside its ramparts allowing soldiers to shoot at gate attackers.
Read the rest of this article...
Friday, February 18, 2011
University of Newcastle archaeologists plan Humphrey Senhouse trail along Hadrian's Wall
This summer, archaeologists from the University of Newcastle will be following in the footsteps of Humphrey Senhouse, who found 17 Roman altars near Hadrian’s Wall in 1870.
The Newcastle team hope to throw new light on Senhouse’s treasures by excavating the Maryport site in Cumbria, which is one of the largest and best-preserved Roman sites in the north.
Professor Ian Haynes, who will lead the excavation, said: “The Maryport altars have been at the centre of international debate about the nature of religion in the Roman army for decades now.
Read the rest of this article...
The Newcastle team hope to throw new light on Senhouse’s treasures by excavating the Maryport site in Cumbria, which is one of the largest and best-preserved Roman sites in the north.
Professor Ian Haynes, who will lead the excavation, said: “The Maryport altars have been at the centre of international debate about the nature of religion in the Roman army for decades now.
Read the rest of this article...
Thursday, February 17, 2011
English Heritage unveil TV's Rome Wasn't Built in a Day Roman Town House in Wroxeter
After months of blood, sweat, tears and much swearing documented blow-by-blow on the channel 4 TV programme Rome Wasn’t Built in a Day, Wroxeter’s Roman Town House is finally ready to be unveiled to the public.
Six months in the making, the house dubbed "the newest Roman house in the world" will be open for visitors from February 19.
The town house was constructed using traditional building techniques to recreate the look, feel and attributes of a typical Roman property from Wroxeter’s Roman heyday in the 2nd century AD.
Read the rest of this article...
Six months in the making, the house dubbed "the newest Roman house in the world" will be open for visitors from February 19.
The town house was constructed using traditional building techniques to recreate the look, feel and attributes of a typical Roman property from Wroxeter’s Roman heyday in the 2nd century AD.
Read the rest of this article...
Unearthing ancient secrets of daily life in Roman city
The Department of Ancient History’s Dr. Arianna Traviglia will be part of a groundbreaking cooperative archeological project in which she will be exploring what life was like for the more than 100,000 people who would have lived outside the city walls.
At its height Aquilea was home to 100,000 people, but the city walls could not accommodate a population of that size.
"Most of the population would have lived outside the city walls, and that’s my project," says Traviglia. "We don’t know pretty much anything about what was outside the city: where the people were living, where the nice villas were, where the fancy, rich Romans were living and so on."
Read the rest of this article...
At its height Aquilea was home to 100,000 people, but the city walls could not accommodate a population of that size.
"Most of the population would have lived outside the city walls, and that’s my project," says Traviglia. "We don’t know pretty much anything about what was outside the city: where the people were living, where the nice villas were, where the fancy, rich Romans were living and so on."
Read the rest of this article...
Child’s footprints found beside a Roman Fort
The excavation of a Roman fort at Healam Bridge and the attached industrial zone produced some remarkable discoveries, including the footprints of a child playing alongside the road that led into the fortress.
Archaeologists made the remarkable discovery while excavating an area beside the remains of a small stream that ran behind a former RomanVicus settlement. This and other finds were made during the upgrade of the A1 to a three-lane motorway between Dishforth and Leeming in North Yorkshire.
Helen Maclean of AECOM described the find as very rare and commented that, “she was not aware of many other footprints being found, everybody was quite amazed by it.”
Read the rest of this article...
Archaeologists made the remarkable discovery while excavating an area beside the remains of a small stream that ran behind a former RomanVicus settlement. This and other finds were made during the upgrade of the A1 to a three-lane motorway between Dishforth and Leeming in North Yorkshire.
Helen Maclean of AECOM described the find as very rare and commented that, “she was not aware of many other footprints being found, everybody was quite amazed by it.”
Read the rest of this article...
* Culture * Heritage Wroxeter house recreation adds colour to Roman site
Bright yellow and red house built using real Roman techniques – and a few illicit wheelbarrows – can be seen a mile off
Good taste is not a feature of a new Roman house that has risen, with much sweat and cursing, from a flat Shropshire field at the genuinely ancient Roman town site of Wroxeter: painted bright yellow and oxblood red, the building can be seen a mile off,
The wall, which is 7 metres (23ft) high and stands on top of a metre-high mound, protects the remains of an real ancient Roman forum.
Read the rest of this article...
Good taste is not a feature of a new Roman house that has risen, with much sweat and cursing, from a flat Shropshire field at the genuinely ancient Roman town site of Wroxeter: painted bright yellow and oxblood red, the building can be seen a mile off,
The wall, which is 7 metres (23ft) high and stands on top of a metre-high mound, protects the remains of an real ancient Roman forum.
Read the rest of this article...
Monday, February 14, 2011
Roman statues unearthed outside Rome
Italian archeologists have unearthed a collection of ancient Roman statues during excavations at a Roman villa along the Via Anagnina outside Rome.
According to Italy's Ministry of Cultural Heritage, the six statue fragments belong to members of the Severan Dynasty and were buried in a basin at the center of the villa's atrium.
"We first saw a white nape, belonging to a Roman matron,” archaeologist Magda Fossati of Rome's archaeological superintendency told the daily La Repubblica.
Read the rest of this article...
According to Italy's Ministry of Cultural Heritage, the six statue fragments belong to members of the Severan Dynasty and were buried in a basin at the center of the villa's atrium.
"We first saw a white nape, belonging to a Roman matron,” archaeologist Magda Fossati of Rome's archaeological superintendency told the daily La Repubblica.
Read the rest of this article...
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Motorway maximus: Unearthed, a stunning Roman super-highway built 1,900 years ago
It was a route once trod by legionnaires as they marched across a conquered land.
But, eventually, the Romans left Britain and the magnificent highway they created was reclaimed by nature and seemingly lost for ever.
Now, some 2,000 years after it was built, it has been uncovered in the depths of a forest in Dorset.
And, remarkably, it shows no sign of the potholes that blight our modern roads.
Read the rest of this article...
But, eventually, the Romans left Britain and the magnificent highway they created was reclaimed by nature and seemingly lost for ever.
Now, some 2,000 years after it was built, it has been uncovered in the depths of a forest in Dorset.
And, remarkably, it shows no sign of the potholes that blight our modern roads.
Read the rest of this article...
Fortsetzung der geophysikalischen Untersuchungen im Römerkastell Halheim
In den vergangenen Tagen wurden die im Oktober 2010 begonnenen geophysikalischen Untersuchungen im römischen Kastell Halheim fortgesetzt.
Der Geophysiker Dr. Harald von der Osten mit einem Georadargerät die römischen Baustrukturen im Untergrund des römischen Kastells von Halheim (Foto: Stadt Ellwangen)
Dr. Harald von der Osten, Geophysiker des Landesamtes für Denkmalpflege im Regierungspräsidium Stuttgart (Esslingen), untersuchte mit einem Erdradargerät neuester Bauart das Kastellinnere. Bei dieser Technik waren die frostigen Bedingungen, die zurzeit herrschen, von Vorteil, um auch feinste Strukturen wie etwaige Kastellgräben sichtbar zu machen.
Read the rest of this article...
Der Geophysiker Dr. Harald von der Osten mit einem Georadargerät die römischen Baustrukturen im Untergrund des römischen Kastells von Halheim (Foto: Stadt Ellwangen)
Dr. Harald von der Osten, Geophysiker des Landesamtes für Denkmalpflege im Regierungspräsidium Stuttgart (Esslingen), untersuchte mit einem Erdradargerät neuester Bauart das Kastellinnere. Bei dieser Technik waren die frostigen Bedingungen, die zurzeit herrschen, von Vorteil, um auch feinste Strukturen wie etwaige Kastellgräben sichtbar zu machen.
Read the rest of this article...
Thursday, February 3, 2011
How the Romans made pottery in Britain
In the shadow of Hadrian’s Wall, Roman soldiers defended the northern border of the Empire, passed the time in their bathhouses and inevitably drank a lot of wine. They also made a lot of pots.
Melissa Chatfield, a research fellow in ceramic geoarchaeology, was determined to find out how. Which is why on the edge of the Stanford campus, a narrow column of pale smoke rose behind the Stanford Community Farm building last weekend.
The source was a 5-foot-high grass mound atop a 12-foot-square wooden box. It was modelled on several ancient kilns excavated in England dating to the first century B.C. as well as the early Roman kilns that followed.
Read the rest of this article...
Melissa Chatfield, a research fellow in ceramic geoarchaeology, was determined to find out how. Which is why on the edge of the Stanford campus, a narrow column of pale smoke rose behind the Stanford Community Farm building last weekend.
The source was a 5-foot-high grass mound atop a 12-foot-square wooden box. It was modelled on several ancient kilns excavated in England dating to the first century B.C. as well as the early Roman kilns that followed.
Read the rest of this article...
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
New exhibition about Roman Emperor Septimius Severus at the Yorkshire Museum
NEARLY 2,000 years ago, York was the most important place in the western hemisphere. The Roman Emperor had taken up residence and thousands of social climbers from all corners of the empire flocked to the city to be part of the scene.
The man attracting all the fuss was Septimius Severus, the first black citizen to hold Rome’s highest office. For the final three years of his reign, he made York his home and brought to the city a cosmopolitan period of culture, fashion and importance that has not been matched since.
Read the rest of this article...
The man attracting all the fuss was Septimius Severus, the first black citizen to hold Rome’s highest office. For the final three years of his reign, he made York his home and brought to the city a cosmopolitan period of culture, fashion and importance that has not been matched since.
Read the rest of this article...
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Roman Road Found In Dorset
A Roman road has been unearthed in Puddletown Forest in Dorset UK
The road was discovered by accident by workers from the Forestry Commission discovered during clearance work.
The road is believed to be part of the Ackling Dyke Roman Road, built to link Old Sarum (Salisbury) with the Roman fort at Exeter.
Read the rest of this article...
The road was discovered by accident by workers from the Forestry Commission discovered during clearance work.
The road is believed to be part of the Ackling Dyke Roman Road, built to link Old Sarum (Salisbury) with the Roman fort at Exeter.
Read the rest of this article...
Museumsbau einstimmig beschlossen
Das Limes-Museum am Römerpark Ruffenhofen wird nach dem Sieger-Modell des Architektenwettbewerbs gebaut. Wie erwartet haben sich die drei Hesselberg-Gemeinden Gerolfingen, Wittelshofen und Weiltingen für den Entwurf eines Münchner Architekturbüros entschieden.
Read the rest of this article...
Read the rest of this article...
Friday, January 14, 2011
Your Favourite Archaeological Sites in Europe
Which sites in Europe have you most enjoyed visiting? A new Archaeology in Europe website allows you to post descriptions and photos of archaeological sites that you have visited, and to give ratings and comments for sites that are already in the database.
The site is very much in its infancy at the moment, and I would welcome contributions and feedback. It is envisaged that the site will grow into a useful source of up to date information for those planning to visit sites in Europe.
You can find the site at: archaeologyineurope.phile.com.
The site runs on Phile – a brilliant application developed by Mike Schiff and Sho Kuwamoto. Phile can be best described as a combination of an online database and a social network site, and it allows people with similar interests to share much more detailed information than the usual social network sites.
I am sure that Phile has tremendous potential for archaeological societies, fieldwork studies and other work groups. Take a look at phile.com.
The site is very much in its infancy at the moment, and I would welcome contributions and feedback. It is envisaged that the site will grow into a useful source of up to date information for those planning to visit sites in Europe.
You can find the site at: archaeologyineurope.phile.com.
The site runs on Phile – a brilliant application developed by Mike Schiff and Sho Kuwamoto. Phile can be best described as a combination of an online database and a social network site, and it allows people with similar interests to share much more detailed information than the usual social network sites.
I am sure that Phile has tremendous potential for archaeological societies, fieldwork studies and other work groups. Take a look at phile.com.
Climate a factor in Rome's rise and fall: study
Climate change seems a factor in the rise and fall of the Roman empire, according to a study of ancient tree growth that urges greater awareness of the risks of global warming in the 21st century.
Good growth by oak and pine trees in central Europe in the past 2,500 years signaled warm and wet summers and coincided with periods of wealth among farming societies, for instance around the height of the Roman empire or in medieval times.
Periods of climate instability overlapped with political turmoil, such as during the decline of the Roman empire, and might even have made Europeans vulnerable to the Black Death or help explain migration to America during the chill 17th century.
Read the rest of this article...
Good growth by oak and pine trees in central Europe in the past 2,500 years signaled warm and wet summers and coincided with periods of wealth among farming societies, for instance around the height of the Roman empire or in medieval times.
Periods of climate instability overlapped with political turmoil, such as during the decline of the Roman empire, and might even have made Europeans vulnerable to the Black Death or help explain migration to America during the chill 17th century.
Read the rest of this article...
Roman coins stash is declared as treasure
A hoard of Roman coins discovered by a metal detecting club have been declared as treasure.
A group of six members from the East Devon Metal Detecting Society – Colin Hancock, Anthony Osbourne, John Evans, John Hill, George Stevens and Stephen Bassett – discovered the collection of 136 coins, three dinar and 133 copper and alloy, on February 24 and March 1, 2008, on farmland in Whiddon Down, near Okehampton.
A treasure trove inquest took place at Exeter County Hall on Wednesday.
Deputy Coroner Darren Salter took evidence from a British Museum representative and the Portable Antiquities Scheme funds liaison officer Danielle Wootton.
Read the rest of this article...
A group of six members from the East Devon Metal Detecting Society – Colin Hancock, Anthony Osbourne, John Evans, John Hill, George Stevens and Stephen Bassett – discovered the collection of 136 coins, three dinar and 133 copper and alloy, on February 24 and March 1, 2008, on farmland in Whiddon Down, near Okehampton.
A treasure trove inquest took place at Exeter County Hall on Wednesday.
Deputy Coroner Darren Salter took evidence from a British Museum representative and the Portable Antiquities Scheme funds liaison officer Danielle Wootton.
Read the rest of this article...
Roman Erotic Cup To Go On Public Display
A famous Roman artefact once considered too shocking to be exhibited is coming to The University of Nottingham as part of a major new exhibition.
The Warren Cup, a silver cup decorated with scenes of male homosexual love, was recently featured in the BBC series A History of the World in 100 Objects and has its permanent home in the British Museum. It is only the second time the cup has left the Museum to be displayed outside London.
Read the rest of this article...
The Warren Cup, a silver cup decorated with scenes of male homosexual love, was recently featured in the BBC series A History of the World in 100 Objects and has its permanent home in the British Museum. It is only the second time the cup has left the Museum to be displayed outside London.
Read the rest of this article...
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Experts to meet public at Medieval Bishop's Palace in bid to raise £320,000 for Frome Hoard A public appeal to save the largest Roman coin hoard ever
c
A public appeal to save the largest Roman coin hoard ever found in Britain will host a major fundraising event at a Medieval palace in Somerset later this month.
The Art Fund needs to raise £320,250 by February 19 to buy the Frome Hoard, a buried pot of more than 52,000 coins found by metal detectorist Dave Crist in April 2010, for the Museum of Somerset in Taunton.
Supporters are being urged to make a minimum donation of £15 to attend an evening dedicated to the hoard at Bishop’s Palace in Wells, where experts from the British Museum will discuss the theories behind the burial in front of examples from the 1,700-year-old find.
Read the rest of this article...
A public appeal to save the largest Roman coin hoard ever found in Britain will host a major fundraising event at a Medieval palace in Somerset later this month.
The Art Fund needs to raise £320,250 by February 19 to buy the Frome Hoard, a buried pot of more than 52,000 coins found by metal detectorist Dave Crist in April 2010, for the Museum of Somerset in Taunton.
Supporters are being urged to make a minimum donation of £15 to attend an evening dedicated to the hoard at Bishop’s Palace in Wells, where experts from the British Museum will discuss the theories behind the burial in front of examples from the 1,700-year-old find.
Read the rest of this article...
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
'NEW' ROMAN VILLA AT WROXETER
Thanks to an innovative TV project with Channel 4, a Roman villa urbana - a high status Roman town house - has been erected at Wroxeter in Shropshire, on the site of the fourth largest city in Roman Britain. A six part TV series will start on Thursday 20 January following a team of modern builders as they set about building the town house using traditional Roman methods.
THE ‘VILLA URBANA’ AT WROXETER
The villa will be open to the public from Saturday 19 February, daily from 10am. It will greatly enhance the visitor experience at Wroxeter and will help bring history alive for the many school parties that come to the site each year.
Dr Simon Thurley, Chief Executive of English Heritage, says: "The series is immensely entertaining and an eye-opener. What a great way to approach history. I urge everyone to come to Wroxeter and see for themselves the remarkable replica they have built and appreciate the energy and ingenuity that defined so much of the Roman era.
Read the rest of this article...
THE ‘VILLA URBANA’ AT WROXETER
The villa will be open to the public from Saturday 19 February, daily from 10am. It will greatly enhance the visitor experience at Wroxeter and will help bring history alive for the many school parties that come to the site each year.
Dr Simon Thurley, Chief Executive of English Heritage, says: "The series is immensely entertaining and an eye-opener. What a great way to approach history. I urge everyone to come to Wroxeter and see for themselves the remarkable replica they have built and appreciate the energy and ingenuity that defined so much of the Roman era.
Read the rest of this article...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)