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Roman Britain: New Findings & Discoveries

Some evidence for people of 'East Asian' ancestry living in Roman London

The following brief note discusses a number of individuals buried in Roman London who have results indicative of an 'East Asian' ancestry. These people seem to have formed part of a diverse community living in the southern suburb of Londinium during the second to fourth centuries AD, with over 40% of the individuals studied having results consistent with an African or Asian ancestry and/or childhood residence.

The evidence in question consists of a sample of 22 burials from the southern burial area of Roman London which have been subjected to a recent isotopic and/or macromorphoscopic trait analysis in order to establish the ancestry and childhood residency of these individuals.(1) The results of this analysis offer a picture that is broadly in line with the situation at Roman York and other similar sites, as reported in a number of previous posts, namely that the evidence points towards a considerable degree of diversity in the Roman-era population of Britain. So, 41% of the 17 individuals buried at London and subjected to macromorphoscopic trait analysis (n=7) had results consistent with a non-European—African or Asian—ancestry, and 45% of the 20 individuals whose teeth were analysed (n=9) had oxygen isotope results of 19.2–21.0‰ δ¹⁸Op, well outside the credible British range and most consistent with a childhood spent in North Africa or even further afield, as discussedelsewhere. Needless to say, whilst such results are perhaps in many ways unsurprising, it is nonetheless worth knowing that the conclusions regarding the diversity of the population of Roman Britain reached previously on the basis of evidence from York, Winchester and elsewhere hold good for London too. However, the importance of the London burial data goes beyond simply adding further weight to previous conclusions, as the data reported not only identifies a number of people of probable 'African descent' within the Roman-era urban population (four individuals or 24% of the sample investigated), but also two or three individuals who appear to be of 'East Asian' ancestry. ...

http://www.caitlingreen.org/2016/09/east-asian-people-roman-london.html
 
Chichester Roman houses found under Priory Park

Ground-penetrating scans of a park have revealed three near-complete Roman buildings under Chichester.
Archaeologists, who were left stunned by the degree of preservation, have said the only reason they survived was because Priory Park was never built on.

Two houses and a third building were found. Moving images from a scan show the shapes of two buildings emerge.
It is thought the houses, which would have been worth millions today, were owned by people of importance.

Local geophysics specialist David Staveley, who had set out to identify all the city's Roman roads, was given permission to scan the parks because some might have survived there.
[Scan Video]
Following his scans, a small dig was carried out in Priory Park.
It is thought the houses were originally on a street but the road did not survive.

James Kenny, an archaeologist at Chichester District Council, said the scans showed a townhouse with rooms and a freestanding building in the corner.
"It's difficult to say what it might have been, but the walls did survive. It might have been part of a bathhouse, or a cellar, or a winter dining room with under-floor heating," he said.

Mr Kenny admitted there was "nothing exceptional" about a Roman house in a Roman town.
But he said: "What's exceptional is in a Roman town like Chichester, most of the archaeology has been interrupted by all sorts of house building."
Added to that, the city had no sewers until the 1880s and people had to dig holes in the ground, he said.
"An awful lot of archaeology was lost."
However, Priory Park, originally home to a monastery, had not been developed, and the buildings buried 0.5m below the surface showed a "remarkable degree of preservation", Mr Kenny said.

Further exploration will take place this year and there may also be a larger investigation in the future.
Scans also revealed another Roman street under the park, but this will not be uncovered.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-sussex-38746952

I went to school in Chichester. I don't remember Priory Park, but a map shows that it's right in the centre of town, not far from the Cathedral.
 
Bricklayer set to bank thousands after finding Roman treasure
By Plymouth Herald | Posted: March 21, 2017

A rare Roman ingot found by a Plymouth bricklayer will go under the hammer tomorrow - and it's expected to sell for up to £18,000.
Jason Baker stumbled across the once-in-a-lifetime discovery with his metal detector when he was exploring the Mendip Hills in Somerset.
The huge Roman pig ingot, complete with inscription, is not regarded by experts as treasure because it is made of lead instead of gold or silver, meaning authorities allowed Jason to keep it - known as 'finders keepers' in the trade.

Jason, who lives in Eggbuckland, had been paying for a dedicated storage container to house the precious relic, which went to auction with prestigious Bond Street auctioneers, Bonhams, on November 30 - but didn't sell.

Two foot in length and nearly six stone in weight, the fascinating piece of history is expected to sell for between £12,000 and £18,000 at Hanson's Auction House and Valuers in Derby this spring.
The antique is inscribed with the names of Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus, who ruled as co-emperors between 161 and 169AD.

Speaking previously to The Herald about his discovery, the Eggbuckland man said: "I was over the moon as I knew it was a once in a life time find.
"The whole dig was turned into a frenzy as there was about 100 people there that day who were asking questions and taking pictures."

Jason intends to watch the auction online.
If the item sells he says he will split the profits between the farmer of the land and his friend Zack Littlejohn, who taught Jason everything he knows about metal detecting.
If it doesn't sell, Jason thinks he'll keep the ingot to pass down to his family.

The auctioneers say on their website: "Amongst the star lots is a remarkable 20kg Roman lead ingot emblazoned with the names of joint Emperors Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus, and dating to AD 164 – 169. An important souvenir of industrial Roman Britain, found close to Charterhouses in the Mendip Hills, Somerset, it is estimated to sell for £12,000-18,000."

http://www.plymouthherald.co.uk/bri...man-treasure/story-30219465-detail/story.html

Pics on page.
 
Roman toilet seats among rare preserved artefacts to be seen in public for first time.

TOILET seats and potter’s wheels are among rare preserved artefacts of everyday Roman life to be seen by members of the public for first time at a top Hadrian’s Wall attraction.

The Vindolanda Trust has gained full support with a £1.3m grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) to secure the future of its internationally-significant collection of wooden Roman artefacts and enable the public to see many of them for the first time.

The Vindolanda site, possibly best known as the discovery place of Britain’s oldest surviving handwritten documents and thousands of ancient Roman shoes, also has a vast collection of other organic material, preserved in the anaerobic oxygen-free ground giving visitors a unique window on the past.
Click to expand...

2 photos at link, one of which is a bronze ear.

http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/ne...seen_in_public_for_first_time/?ref=mrb&lp=21#
 
A new cache of 25 Roman letters has been found at Vindolanda, the fort below Hadrian’s Wall where the most famous documents from the Roman world were discovered in 1992, first-person accounts of cold feet, beer running short, and jolly birthday parties at the northernmost edge of the empire.

The tablets are still being conserved, before being scanned with infrared light which should make the faint marks in black ink legible, but the cursive script is invariably a cryptic crossword puzzle that will take experts many months to solve.

However, the archaeologists have already spotted that one of the tablets may refer to a character already well known from the original find: Masclus was then writing to his commanding officer asking for more beer supplies to be sent to his outpost on the wall. In the newly discovered letter, Masclus is requesting leave – possibly with a painful hangover.
Most of the new letters are written like the original find on thin slivers of birch, but there is particular excitement about one double-leaved oak tablet, as the two pieces of timber folded together usually give particularly good preservation of ink and the wood was used for more important correspondence than the more plentiful birch. ...

https://www.theguardian.com/science...-discovered-at-hadrians-wall?CMP=share_btn_tw

Another bunch of undelivered letters? Even the Imperial Mail was unreliable.
 
rynner2 said:
Bricklayer set to bank thousands after finding Roman treasure
By Plymouth Herald | Posted: March 21, 2017

A rare Roman ingot found by a Plymouth bricklayer will go under the hammer tomorrow - and it's expected to sell for up to £18,000.
Jason Baker stumbled across the once-in-a-lifetime discovery with his metal detector when he was exploring the Mendip Hills in Somerset.
The huge Roman pig ingot, complete with inscription, is not regarded by experts as treasure because it is made of lead instead of gold or silver, meaning authorities allowed Jason to keep it - known as 'finders keepers' in the trade.
Click to expand...

I'm not incredibly wealthy or anything, but if I were lucky enough to discover a Roman artefact valued at a less-than-life-changing amount, I wouldn't sell it. I might lend it out to a local museum or something, but I'd probably want to pass it on to my descendants as a token of good luck.

Being broke would change things considerably, but if I were just muddling along well enough without the windfall and it was a matter of a new car or a conservatory or something, I'd rather hang onto it.
 
Maybe this should go in The Lone Coastguard? Anyway, a diploma which belonged to a rare old salt.

The North East has a proud tradition of seafaring and naval service – and a metal detectorist’s stunning find has just back dated that by almost 2,000 years.

A Roman fleet diploma, detailing the 26-year naval career of its holder, was found on land near Lanchester Roman fort in County Durham by Mark Houston.

The individual who was presented with the copper alloy diploma on his honourable retirement is Britain’s first named sailor.

And the find is the first complete fleet diploma to be discovered in this country.

On July 20 the diploma will be unveiled in Durham City as part of the National Festival of Archaeology.

It will go on show at Durham University’s Museum of Archaeology in Palace Green library.

It records how the holder, named Tigernos, served in the Classis Germanica – the Roman fleet in Germany. ...

http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news...edible-fleet-diploma-detailing-naval-13313528
 
ramonmercado said:
A Roman fleet diploma, detailing the 26-year naval career of its holder, was found on land near Lanchester Roman fort in County Durham by Mark Houston.
The individual who was presented with the copper alloy diploma on his honourable retirement is Britain’s first named sailor.
And the find is the first complete fleet diploma to be discovered in this country.

On July 20 the diploma will be unveiled in Durham City as part of the National Festival of Archaeology.

http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news...edible-fleet-diploma-detailing-naval-13313528
Click to expand...

The graphic that accompanies that article is a bit misleading. It shows the steering oars at the bows of the vessel, when they would actually been at the stern! It also shows the rowing oars in place, although the ship is making good speed under sail - normally the oars would only have been used in a calm.

The sailor or officer shown is wearing his armour, which wouldn't have been very buoyant, but the Romans probably didn't care much for namby-pamby safety issues!

Btw, there's a good account of a Roman era shipwreck in St Paul's epistles in the New Testament.
 
A four-day excavation searching for evidence of Roman life begins in Flintshire on Saturday.

Previous digs in the Oakenholt area have found remains of Roman roads, buildings, furnaces and coins.

Clwyd Powys Archaeological Trust (CPAT) is hosting the event and encouraging the community to take part.

The best finds from the dig and others in the area will be displayed at the Oakenholt Bowling Club. ...

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-north-east-wales-41489536
 
Where Caesar first trod on British soil.

Archaeologists believe they may have uncovered the first evidence of Julius Caesar's invasion of Britain in 54BC.

The discovery of a defensive ditch and weapons have led them to identify Pegwell Bay in Thanet, Kent as where they believe the Romans landed.

The ditch, found in nearby Ebbsfleet, was part of a large fort, the University of Leicester team believes.

Its location was consistent with clues provided by Caesar's own account of the invasion, the team said.

Caesar's 54 BC invasion, which ultimately ended in retreat, came almost 100 years before Claudius's conquest in AD 43.

The five metre-wide ditch was discovered during an excavation ahead of a new road being built.

The university said its shape was very similar to Roman defences found in France.

_98971865_caesar.jpg

Image caption The team found part of a Roman pilum - a type of javelin
It is thought it formed part of a large fort protecting Caesar's ships on the nearby beach.

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-42155888
 
The Roman way of taking it with you.

A Roman grave containing a lead coffin and more than 250 coins has been discovered in a field.

The artefacts were found near Ilminster, Somerset, by a member of the Detecting for Veterans group and are believed to date from AD400. There are about 200 similar lead coffins finds in the country but only six have been previously been discovered in Somerset. The coins are with the British Museum for cleaning and valuation. The site will be subject to further archaeological investigations in the new year.

Laura Burnett, the Somerset finds liaison officer, said lead was a "fancy and expensive" way of being buried in Roman times. "They're probably using locally produced lead from the Mendips - so it might have been a bit cheaper here than in other parts of the county - but it's an expensive thing to be buried in."

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-somerset-42430934
 
The Romans' fondness for boxing isn't the surprise - it's the discovery of the only known pair of Roman boxing gloves ...

Rare Roman boxing gloves found near Hadrian's Wall
Roman boxing gloves have been discovered near Hadrian’s Wall, thought to be the only known surviving examples, even though the sport was well- documented on Roman wall paintings, mosaics and sculptures.

With a protective guard designed to fit snugly over the knuckles, the gloves were packed with natural material which acted as shock absorbers. They date from around AD120 and were certainly made to last: they still fit comfortably on a modern hand. One of them even retains the impression of the knuckles of its ancient wearer.

They are among the latest discoveries at a pre-Hadrianic Roman cavalry barrack, which was found last year beneath the fourth-century stone fort of Vindolanda, south of Hadrian’s Wall near Hexham, Northumberland. ...
Click to expand...

FULL STORY: https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/feb/19/rare-roman-boxing-gloves-found-hadrians-wall
 
Interesting that one glove is bigger than the other. One for hitting, one for guarding.
Oh yeah, and the boxer who owned it was left handed (if I'm right about the purpose of the gloves).
 
Monstrosa said:
But they're not a pair. though there are two gloves.
Click to expand...
Aren't they? How do they know that?
The fact that they don't match doesn't mean they're not a pair.
 
Mythopoeika said:
Aren't they? How do they know that?
The fact that they don't match doesn't mean they're not a pair.
Click to expand...

The article states:

The gloves, resembling leather padded bands rather than the full-hand boxing gloves used today, are similar in style and function, although are not a matching pair.
Click to expand...

I suppose this can be parsed two ways:

- The gloves aren't identical (e.g., 1 large; 1 smaller), but they're two items comprising a single set.

- The gloves illustrated represent two single gloves drawn from 2 different sets.

The difference relates to whether one takes 'matching' to mean 'similar to each other' versus 'both part of the same set'.
 
Lucky horseshoes find

Early Roman "horseshoes" unearthed during an excavation at a fort near Hadrian's Wall are to go on display.

Barbara Birley, curator at Vindolanda, near Hexham, in Northumberland, said it was "incredibly rare" to find a full set of four iron hipposandals.

She said the hoof protectors were so well preserved that their tread to stop horses slipping was clearly visible.

The haul was found by a volunteer - one of 250 who carry out digs at the fort every year.

_102786514_hippo.jpg



https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-tyne-45034623
 
Roman town found in Kent

Remains of one of the most significant small Roman towns in Kent have been found on a building site, with a temple and evidence of a pottery.

Experts have uncovered the 18-acre town on land destined for houses, which are being built by developer Persimmon Homes, next to the A2 in Newington, near Sittingbourne.

Archaeologists said it is one of the most significant finds. Among it were rare coins, jewellery, furnaces and a seven-metre wide road thought to be an alternative route to the A2.

"We already had evidence of a Roman burial ground and Roman occupation in the immediate vicinity and this excavation shows there was a thriving manufacturing site in the heart of our village.

"The temple and major road are massive discoveries.

"It proves the A2 wasn't the only Roman road through the village.

Archaeological director at Swale and Thames Archaeological Survey, Dr Paul Wilkinson, said: "This is one of the most important discoveries of a Roman small town in Kent for many years with the preservation of Roman buildings and artefacts exceptional."
Click to expand...
It will soon be buried under a housing development.


6UG7ELS6G6JFKHOHNK8N.jpg



RSXKE2T5MP3DUAUQ5TK5.jpg
 
A rare 2,000-year-old wooden arm has been recovered from the bottom of a Roman well.

The "finely carved" limb was found by archaeologists excavating land at the Warth Park industrial estate in Raunds, Northamptonshire. Experts believed the discovery is of national and international importance, because of its location - and survival. Wood specialist Michael Bamforth said it may have been an offering to the gods.

Archaeologists from Oxford Archaeology East said the arm survived in the water-logged well as it had been filled in at the top so a lack of oxygen prevented deterioration.

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-northamptonshire-48712130
 
Gems, games and a Roman Bigfoot (for the time).

Two rare Roman gemstones that had fallen down a toilet and a 2,000 year-old gaming board have been unearthed at a Northumberland fort.

The treasures found at Vindolanda in Hexham, near Hadrian's Wall, were dug up by a team of 400 volunteers and have been sent for analysis.

As well as the 1,800-year-old gems, a soldier's size 11 shoe was also found.

A trust spokesman said the gems were precious but the glue used to fix them in rings was not strong enough.

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-tyne-48745656
 
Rynner toiled in that mine.

Archaeologists digging near a Roman fort in Cornwall have unearthed remains of a mine and a Roman road.

The discoveries were made during a new dig near a fort found at Calstock in 2007, one of only three such sites known in the county.

Experts will carry out further analysis of a previously-unknown series of deep pits, connected by arched tunnels.

Dig leader Dr Chris Smart, from the University of Exeter, said the mine was an "unexpected bonus".

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-cornwall-48841598
 
This is a different sort of find - a humorous souvenir from two millennia ago ...
Ancient Roman 'Pen' Was a Joke Souvenir

The tradition of buying cheap, joke souvenirs for your loved ones while traveling dates back at least two millennia.

During an archaeological excavation at a Roman-era site in London, researchers found around 200 iron styluses used for writing on wax-filled wooden tablets. One of those styluses, which just debuted in its first public exhibition, holds a message written in tiny lettering along its sides. The inscription's sentiment, according to the researchers who translated it, is essentially, "I went to Rome and all I got you was this pen."

Roger Tomlin, a classicist and epigrapher at the University of Oxford, translated the full inscription as follows:

"I have come from the City. I bring you a welcome gift
with a sharp point that you may remember me.
I ask, if fortune allowed, that I might be able (to give)
as generously as the way is long (and) as my purse is empty."

The researchers said the "the City" in the inscription likely refers to Rome. ...
Click to expand...

FULL STORY: https://www.livescience.com/66066-ancient-roman-pen-was-joke-souvenir.html
 
You just got her hand if you won the race?

A Roman mosaic has been fully uncovered in a West Berkshire village in what has been described as one of Britain's most exciting discoveries.

It is one of just three known mosaics of its kind in the world, according to Anthony Beeson, an expert on Roman and Greek architecture and art.

Archaeologist Matt Nichol described it as "second to none" in terms of imagery and iconography.

The mosaic depicts a mythical chariot race for the hand of a princess.

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-berkshire-49524009
 
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