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Title: Village dig reveals Roman retail therapy - Caerwent Post by: Neil on November 05, 2008, 09:37:36 AM Jul 3 2008 by Rhodri Evans, Western Mail
ONE of Wales’ first shopping centres has been unearthed – a 1,800-year-old High Street. A row of narrow shop buildings uncovered by archeologists shows that the Romans in Britain had their very own shopaholics. The shop buildings used by the Romans in ancient Britain were uncovered by archeologists in fields at Monmouthshire. It is now just a country village called Caerwent but then was known as Venta Silurum – one of 15 major towns in Britain. Archaeologists believed it to be the remnants of an affluent and fashionable Roman town with wealthy villas in the suburbs. A villa, with painted walls and mosaic floors, among the other finds, also points to the town being home to wealthy Romans in the 3rd Century when Venta Silurum boomed. Archeologist Tom Scott described the 44-acre site as “beautifully preserved”. He said: “Discovering the shop buildings and the villa, it seems as if people lived here in some style. “The site appealed to us as it is one of the best preserved Roman towns in the UK. “This was a golden opportunity for us to find out more about it.” A team of 50 archaeologists worked on the excavation at the Roman site involved Wessex Archaeology and volunteers from the local Chepstow Archaeology Society. Seven different trenches were dug up at three different locations on the site. They aimed to uncover more about parts of the town which had previously never been excavated. Long thin buildings were also found in several places – believed to be shop buildings on the high street. A penknife’s hilt, made out of bone, depicting two gladiators fighting was unearthed in the dig. Other artefacts uncovered included coins, glass, ceramics, human and animal bones, lead patches used for making repairs and pieces of mosaic. Mr Scott said: “This type of town was a ‘civitas capital’ – a civilian town and centre of local Roman government – one of around 15 in the UK. “Most of these had later towns built on top so you can’t see the town walls, but Caerwent is beautifully preserved.” Archeologist Jacqueline McKinley said the remains proved it was “posh”. She said: “The large villa we found suggests this was a posh part of town. “We also found animal bones on the site which suggests that at least one of the high street shops was a butchers. “It looks as if the animal bones belonged to joints of meat that would have been displayed in the shop window. “It was a very successful dig and filled in some gaps in our knowledge of the ancient town.” Title: Re: Village dig reveals Roman retail therapy - Caerwent Post by: BottyBurp (Kris) on November 05, 2008, 10:38:50 AM My wife and I spent a day walking around Caerwent last summer and it is one of the best preserved Roman Ruins we've been to this side of Italy.
Well worth a visit and why not take in Caerleon too? Title: Re: Village dig reveals Roman retail therapy - Caerwent Post by: PHIL YNYSBOETH on November 06, 2008, 08:59:44 AM Hi Neil
Hope you dont mind me asking but what line of work are you in? you said in an earlier post you come into contact with these articales through your work Keep the Roman storys coming Neil regards Phillius antoninus Joneus ;D Title: Re: Village dig reveals Roman retail therapy - Caerwent Post by: BottyBurp (Kris) on February 15, 2009, 02:00:19 AM I know this is quite an old post but just thought I'd mention that the Time Team were excavating in Caerwent just before we visited there and it was shown on the telly a couple of weeks back.
I think I'm right in saying that they re-covered the area that they's excavated which is a great shame. |