Hidden Beneath Modern Roads: The Astonishing Roman Town Unearthed Along a Southern England Highway
“This is very exciting,” said Dean Coles, chairman of the Newington History Group. “The scale of this site, with the huge number and quality of finds, changes our knowledge of Newington’s development.”
Evidence of a 23-foot-wide road, sunken pottery kilns, and rare iron furnaces were also found at the site. Additionally, numerous costly items imported from other regions indicated that those who lived here at the time were of fairly high status.
Experts have called this find one of the most significant excavations in the region’s history.
This remarkable discovery was made when housing developers were preparing to build 124 new homes. In all corners of the world, it seems, building new tenements often unearths unexpected historical remnants and artifacts.
“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,” said Coles.
The current plan is to analyze the unearthed findings and collate all relevant data in a thorough scientific report. Once that is accomplished, experts will cover up the excavation site so the housing project can continue as planned. For now, though, the focus is on the amazing evidence that’s been found.
“The temple and major road are massive discoveries,” said Coles. “It proves the A2 wasn’t the only Roman road through the village. As a group, we are keen to trace the route and destination of this new ‘highway’ which may have connected with another temple excavated 50 years ago on the outskirts of Newington and a village unearthed in 1882.”
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