Archaeology students from University of Leicester unearth very big Roman house in the country
The remains of a Roman villa, likely to date to the second century AD, have been uncovered by University of Leicester students in the Leicestershire countryside – the second such discovery in recent years
Three years ago, archaeologists from University of Leicester drew the attention of the world when they announced the discovery of a new Roman villa in Rutland, and its extraordinary Trojan War mosaic.
At around 70 metres long, the newly unearthed building is a substantial addition to the list of villas in the East Midlands, and together with the Rutland example, will provide valuable new insight into Roman country houses in rural Britain.
The 2-week dig in May was run as a fieldschool for first-year students from the University’s School of Archaeology and Ancient History and for most it was their first taste of an actual archaeological dig.
The project was supervised by experienced archaeologists from University of Leicester Archaeological Services (ULAS), famous for the discovery of the Rutland Villa and the remains of Richard III, who trained the students in the core skills needed for archaeological excavation.
Over the years, a number of Roman finds have been recovered from the ploughed soil at the site and recently identified cropmarks revealed a landscape rich in archaeological remains, including prehistoric settlement ditches and the Roman villa. Until now though, these have not been investigated by archaeologists.
The students’ excavation focused on areas both inside and outside the villa building. Finds from the villa included fragments of brightly painted wall plaster and mosaic tiles, indicating that the inhabitants decorated their rooms following the latest Roman fashions, while large amounts of animal bones hint at an agricultural element to activity at the site.
As well as the thrill of finding ancient artefacts, the project had an added element of excitement as everything was filmed for a future Time Team feature focussing on the students’ experience of their first dig. The results of the filming will be shown on Time Team’s YouTube channel later in the year, but a short preview of the results is available to view.
Dr John Gater of Time Team and Director of SUMO GeoSurveys, who co-funded the geophysical survey, said: “Following on from our earlier geophysical and aerial surveys on the Rutland villa, it was fantastic to work again alongside the University of Leicester team. The magnetic survey revealed a complex landscape of features including ring ditches and field systems, while the ground penetrating radar (GPR) mapped the footprint of the building itself. Although most of the floor surfaces had been robbed out, it was amazing to see the large granite stone blocks which formed some of the wall foundations.”
Dr Philippa Walton, Lecturer in Roman Archaeology at the University of Leicester, said: “This year’s fieldschool was tremendous opportunity for Leicester’s students to get to grips with archaeological excavation on an exciting new Roman site. They’ve all come away from the experience with lots of new skills and really importantly, helped to increase our understanding of how people lived in Roman Leicestershire.”
John Thomas, Deputy Director of ULAS, said: “It is a great pleasure to be involved in the undergraduate fieldschool, which is always a highlight of the year. The students learnt a lot in a short space of time and it is very exciting that the whole experience has been documented by Time Team, so that the results can be shared with a wider audience.”