Roman town ruins are found throughout the UK

It started as a small settlement in the Iron Age and expanded from there.

In South Northamptonshire, England, in the United Kingdom, archaeologists have discovered the exceptionally well-preserved remains of an Iron Age village that grew into a bustling ancient Roman trading town, a true archaeological gem with over 300 Roman coins, glass vessels, and water wells.

About eighty archaeologists from the Museum of London Archaeology (MOLA) Headland Infrastructure have spent the past year excavating the site to construct HS2, a new high-speed railway. They have discovered an abundance of ancient artefacts and structures from a wide range of periods, including depictions of deities and Roman game pieces.

According to MOLA site manager James West, in a video, "what you would see is a big swarm of activity, people doing different things", including living, working, and trading.

Though Blackgrounds' history has been known to archaeologists since the 18th century, the site's extraordinary preservation was only discovered during the HS2 survey and excavation. Archaeologists uncovered evidence that more than 30 roundhouses had been built in the village near a route during the Iron Age. The community grew and prospered over time. A statement claims that Backgrounds residents constructed new stone structures and roadways during the Roman era.

The people of Backgrounds probably didn't change much during the brief period when the town went from Iron Age to the Roman settlement, a process known as Romanization. They found evidence of Roman architecture, products, and rituals, suggesting that these elements were used.

One of these construction methods is a Roman road that is 33 feet wide (10 meters), which West called "extraordinary in its size" because most Roman roads were no wider than 4 meters. The vastness of this highway ensured that it was bustling with activity as people and animals loaded and unloaded wagons at regular intervals. This route and the River Cherwell undoubtedly contributed to Blackgrounds's success as a commercial centre.

In addition to a residential sector with building foundations, an industrial park with workshops, kilns, and preserved wells was uncovered. There was scorched earth in one section of Backgrounds, suggesting that the area had once been used as a kiln, foundry, or bread oven.

Other items that point to the luxury of Backgrounds include Roman weaving equipment, ornate pottery, and a brooch in the shape of a snake's head. In addition, the archaeologists discovered galena, a lead sulfide mineral that the ancient Romans crushed and combined with oil to create cosmetics.

Live Science reported that the crew also discovered a set of shackles that resembled those found in Great Casterton, a village in England's East Midlands. Although the newly discovered bonds were not found in association with a human burial, the statement implies that Backgrounds was involved in either slave labour or criminal behaviour.

Archaeologists have begun creating a map of the Backgrounds community, and experts from MOLA Headland Infrastructure are currently cleaning and analyzing the artefacts unearthed there.

Reference : https://www.livescience.com/ancient-roman-market-town-excavated-uk

Image source : https://pixabay.com/id/photos/london-big-bang-menjembatani-awan-1900570/

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