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…
Tag: Roman
Leicester Cathedral Revealed – The Romans are coming!
Today is ULAS’s last day in 2022 digging at Leicester Cathedral, we will be back in the New Year to wrap up the excavation by mid-February if all goes to plan. Whilst the team shuts down the site for the Christmas break, excavation director Mathew Morris reveals some of the latest discoveries from the site….
Trenches, Training and Television: the importance of community engagement to the success of the Rutland Villa Project
The story of the magnificent discovery of the Trojan War mosaic and the Rutland Roman Villa captured the world’s attention when its discovery was finally announced to the public in late 2021. We were incredibly proud that the media attention shone a very positive light on the archaeology of Rutland, and in turn the collaborative…
Roman Lifestyles in Rural Rutland: Fresh insights give context to a unique Trojan War mosaic
Finding a unique Roman mosaic featuring gruesome scenes from the Trojan War cycle may have been more than enough for some people, but archaeologists have curiosity running through their veins, and this Summer we have returned to Rutland to discover more about this amazing new villa and the people who lived there. John Thomas, Deputy Director…
Brewing, lead working and Roman rural life at Melbourne
Early in 2021, ULAS began an investigation of a small strip of land at Melbourne in South Derbyshire. A trial trench evaluation was commissioned prior to the construction of eights new homes. Day one of the evaluation fell on the first truly snowy day of the year, quite a contrast to the wet weather conditions…
Encounters with Achilles: The Discovery of the Rutland Roman Villa
The Covid 19 Lockdown in 2020 forced many people to stay close to home for their recreational activities and also to find new interests to pursue. For Jim Irvine a walk with his family on his father’s farmland was the start of a journey that led to the astounding discovery of an extensive Roman villa…
Extraordinary Roman mosaic and villa discovered beneath Rutland farmer’s field
Archaeologists have unearthed the first Roman mosaic of its kind in the UK. Today (Thursday 25th November 2021), a rare Roman mosaic and surrounding villa complex have been protected as a Scheduled Monument by DCMS on the advice of Historic England. The decision follows archaeological work undertaken by a team from University of Leicester Archaeological…
Leicester Cathedral Revealed – archaeological excavation begins at Leicester Cathedral
University of Leicester Archaeological Services (ULAS) are delighted to announce that we have been appointed archaeological contractors for the Leicester Cathedral Revealed project. Now that the Old Song School has been demolished we have a team of archaeologists on site monitoring ground works including the removal of old foundations and the installation of trench sheeting and the contiguous piled…
New book explores life in Roman and Medieval Leicester
The most comprehensive book ever written on the archaeology of Leicester has been published by University of Leicester Archaeological Services (ULAS). Walking through Leicester today it is difficult to appreciate that beneath its streets lie the remains of a 2,000-year-old settlement; beginning in the late Iron Age and subsequently re-shaped by a succession of Roman,…
Thrown to the Lions? New evidence revealed for the use of lions during executions in Roman Britain
Archaeologists in Leicester have discovered an elaborately-decorated Roman bronze key handle portraying the execution of captives in the arena by throwing them to lions. The handle portrays a ‘Barbarian’ grappling with a lion, together with four naked youths cowering in terror. The key handle was discovered by University of Leicester Archaeological Services (ULAS), buried below…
Boundaries and roundhouses at Enderby
In 2016, ULAS carried out work on a large five-hectare excavation at Leicester Lane, Enderby, on the western edge of Leicester close to the M1. An extensive and rich Prehistoric site was identified. Project Officer Wayne Jarvis reports: The site covered an area of land that included lower lying flat ground and a slope up…
Bronze Age burial and Roman farming at Waltham on the Wolds
In the spring of 2019 ULAS undertook an archaeological excavation on the southern fringes of Waltham on the Wolds, a picturesque Leicestershire village 5 miles north-east of Melton Mowbray. Initial investigations in late 2018 had highlighted the potential for considerable Roman archaeology on the site, which was subject to a planning application for residential development….
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