Archaeologists have uncovered several artifacts, including jewelry and coins, from the Iron Age, Roman-era and medieval period at an excavation in the United Kingdom.
The artifacts came to light during a dig being conducted by Pre-Construct Archaeology (PCA) ahead of the construction of a residential development in the village of Stonham Aspal, eastern England, managed by house builder Orbit Homes.
The finds include a medieval gold ring, silver coins from the same period and more than 40 brooches dated to both the Iron Age and the Roman era. Researchers also uncovered a rare Roman copper-alloy vessel dated to the first century A.D.
The Roman Empire conquered most of Britain in the first century. The conquered territory, inhabited by Celtic peoples, became the Roman province of Britannia, which existed until the 5th century.
An ancient brooch (left) and a damaged late medieval gold ring (right) found at the Stonham Aspal site in England. The artifacts were found ahead of the construction of several new homes.
Orbit Homes
The site where the artifacts were found, known as Homestead Park, is where Orbit Homes is planning to build 46 new houses. But the site appears to have had a long history as a residential location.
It is thought that a number of Late Iron Age and Roman-era roundhouses once stood on the site, with the earliest stretching back to around 50 B.C. Experts believe that the occupation of the site was primarily associated with agricultural activities.
“It has been amazing to learn more about the history of Stonham Aspal from the discoveries at Homestead Park. We enlisted PCA as part of the pre-construction programme we undertake at every site and we were delighted to see the archaeologists unearth such fascinating finds, which could have otherwise been left undiscovered for many more years,” Andy Georgiou, sales and marketing director at Orbit Homes, said in a press release.
In August, archaeologists announced the discovery of a pair of “extremely rare” structures from the early medieval period and evidence of a Roman settlement at another site in the United Kingdom.
The remains were identified during an excavation this summer in Wrexham, a city and county in northeast Wales—one of the constituent countries of the U.K. alongside England and Scotland on the island of Great Britain.
An “extraordinary” ancient Roman fort that once housed hundreds of soldiers was also recently uncovered in Wales.
Researcher Mark Merrony located the remains of the fort in Pembrokeshire, a county in southwest Wales.
“This is an extraordinary discovery of a Roman fort with well-preserved fortifications in a region of Wales where the general perception is that there is a lack of Roman influence,” Merrony previously told Newsweek.
Do you have a tip on a science story that Newsweek should be covering? Do you have a question about archaeology? Let us know via science@newsweek.com.
