In 2021, ULAS excavated 96 trenches on land north of Quorn in Leicestershire ahead of proposed development of the site which sits on the floor of the Soar valley, immediately west of the river’s current course. The evaluative work highlighted the presence of archaeological deposits across the site with finds dating to the Middle to…
Tag: Roman
Never mind the Bollards, here’s the Archaeology!
If you’ve been in Leicester’s city centre recently, you will have noticed the newly installed bollards. When Leicester City Council set out to install the bollards, they weren’t just reshaping traffic flow—they were opening a window into the city’s ancient past. In this blog, ULAS Project Manager Gavin Speed takes a look at what was…
Replicating a unique Roman key handle
A unique – and fragile – Roman key handle portraying a ‘Barbarian’ grappling with a lion will soon go on display in the newly refurbished Jewry Wall Museum in Leicester. It was once a high-status Roman item, and no other quite like it has ever been discovered. Because it is so rare, and very fragile,…
Kathleen Kenyon and the Jewry Wall
Today we celebrate the renaming of the Archaeology and Ancient History Building at the University of Leicester after the pioneering archaeologist Dame Kathleen Kenyon. The Kathleen Kenyon Building is the first academic building to be named after a woman on the University of Leicester’s campus. To mark the occasion, archaeologist Mathew Morris, revisits a blog he first wrote in 2019,…
Monument, Memory and Myth
On 25 January 2025, a new exhibit celebrating identity, memory and community opens at Charnwood Museum, inspired by the amazing Bronze Age Cossington Necklace. The necklace was found by ULAS archaeologists in 1999. To coincide with the exhibition, ULAS Deputy Director John Thomas explores the Bronze Age setting of the discovery. Use and re-use of…
Leicester Cathedral Revealed – Secrets from the Cess Pit!
When most people think of archaeological excavations, tangible artefacts such as pottery and coins spring to mind. Also of importance, yet often overlooked, are plant remains, such as cereal grains and seeds, and the remains of wood and charcoal. These can survive by mineralisation, charring or waterlogging, and are vital for archaeological study as they…
Leicester Cathedral Revealed –Roman pottery discoveries
During the excavations at Leicester Cathedral, a total of 5,540 sherds of Roman pottery were recovered dating from the beginning of Roman Leicester during the 1st century, through to the 4th century and the end of the Roman town. The pottery has all been assessed to determine how it can contribute to our understanding of…
Leicester Cathedral Revealed – Animal Bone Discoveries
In our latest blog from the Leicester Cathedral Revealed project, Environmental Supervisor William Johnson-Moss, tells us about the assessment of the animal bones and what they tell us about life in Leicester in the past. During the excavations at Leicester Cathedral a total of 10,516 fragments of animal bone were recovered. These came from features…
Leicester Cathedral Revealed – The story is in the stratigraphic sequence
Saying it’s been a wet winter is an understatement! It’s been terrible for archaeological excavations, with flooded sites, high water tables and mud, glorious mud! For Leicester Cathedral Uncovered, this has been a bit of a blessing, with staff, rained off other projects, devoting a considerable amount of their winter cleaning the skeletons from the…
Roman Leicestershire Unearthed
A new student archaeology training excavation in Laughton, Leicestershire has been launched by ULAS and the University of Leicester’s School of Archaeology and Ancient History. The project enables undergraduate students at the University, along with members from local heritage groups, to develop their archaeological skills. The settlement site, discovered only recently in rural Leicestershire, dates…
Leicester Cathedral Revealed – Leicester Uncovered
It’s been a while since we posted about the archaeology at Leicester Cathedral. The digging is now done and the project has moved into its post-excavation phase, and the Cathedral has reopened its doors to the public again. This is a good time, then, to resume our regular posts on the archaeological discoveries. In this…
Leicester Cathedral Revealed – a Roman shrine beneath the Cathedral?
Well, we have finished our excavation at Leicester Cathedral. It has been a long project, starting a year and a half ago in October 2021, and although it was a modest sized area, the dig has produced a remarkable amount of archaeological information which will allow us to tell the story of an area of…
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