Wealthy Roman trading town uncovered in Northamptonshire
Near a small village in Northamptonshire, one of the most significant archaeological sites on the HS2 Ltd project to date has just been unearthed.
A team of around 80 archaeologists have been excavating the Iron Age village for the past year, with the scale and quality of the discoveries surpassing expectations, providing a detailed insight into the rich history of Britain.
Known as Blackgrounds after the discovery of black soil there, the Iron Age site initially acted as a village formed of over 30 roadhouses. It is believed inhabitants continued to live at the site into the Roman period, adjusting to a new way of life, adopting Roman customs, products and building techniques.
A remarkable discovery is the 10m wide Roman road, alongside over 300 Roman coins, indicating that the settlement would have been incredibly busy with carts simultaneously coming and going to load and unload goods, generating a wealthy Roman trading town.
The wealth of the settlement’s inhabitants can also be seen in the finds uncovered during the dig, which include glass vessels, intricate decorative pottery, and jewellery. Additionally, traces of the mineral galena, lead sulphide, was found on the site – a substance that was crushed and mixed with oil as make up.
The layout of the site suggests the settlement was split into different areas. In one portion of the site, the earth has been preserved with a flaming red colour, suggesting that the area was used for activities involving burning, such as bread making, foundries for metal work, or a pottery kiln.?
At its peak, Blackgrounds would have been a bustling and busy area, with evidence of workshops, kilns, and several miraculously preserved wells all newly uncovered.
Another unique discovery has been half a set of shackles, also known as iron bracelets, similar to those found at an excavation in Rutland. Unlike those uncovered in Rutland, the shackles are not associated with a burial but may suggest the presence of either criminal activity or slave labour.
The removed artefacts are now being cleaned and analysed by specialists and the details of the buildings and layout of the settlement are being carefully mapped.
?
Written by Kiva Donald, Multimedia Writer for Linum Consult
Account Manager at NCC Group
3 å¹´Very interesting read! ????
International Recruitment Consultant ?? | Passionate about Disability Inclusion??
3 å¹´Really fun to write!
Office Manager at Linum Consult
3 å¹´This is amazing! So interesting!
Co-founder & Director @ Linum Consult | Headhunting, International Executive Search - Rail and Mega Infrastructure Projects
3 å¹´Really informative article with some great photos! It must have been an incredible experience for the archaeologists when they were unearthing such an amazing site.