LEICESTERSHIRE ARCHAEOLOGICAL & HISTORICAL SOCIETY presents on THURSDAY 10th MARCH, 7.30PM at NEW WALK MUSEUM, LEICESTER THE W. ALAN NORTH MEMORIAL LECTURE 2016 “HERCULANEUM: PAST PERFECT, FUTURE CONDITIONAL” A lecture by PROFESSOR ANDREW WALLACE-HADRILL University of Cambridge Professor Andrew Wallace-Hadrill, OBE, FBA, FSA is Professor of Roman Studies and Director of Research in the Faculty…
Tag: Roman
New evidence of Roman and medieval Leicester revealed beneath former city centre bus depot
University of Leicester team reveals insights into Roman and medieval domestic life beneath former city centre bus depot. Archaeologists from University of Leicester Archaeological Services (ULAS) have unearthed new evidence of Roman and medieval Leicester after recently completing the excavation of two areas at the former Southgates Bus Depot, on the corner of Southgates and…
Restoration of fire-damaged 18th century factory reveals Roman building
Recent archaeological investigations by ULAS at Friar’s Mill site in Leicester uncover evidence of well-preserved Roman building beneath factory complex. Friar’s Mill, a disused mill complex on the banks of the River Soar, is currently undergoing a £6.3milllion redevelopment scheme to bring it back into use as a base for local businesses. The city council-led…
Iron Age settlement found near Brixworth in Northamptonshire
In 2014, archaeologists from ULAS investigated a 7 hectare area of agricultural land situated between the A508 and Pitsford Reservoir, just south of Brixworth in Northamptonshire. The evaluation was undertaken as part of an archaeological impact assessment in advance of proposed residential development. Work targeted previously identified geophysical anomalies and revealed an array of archaeological…
Archaeologists return to Pineham, Northamptonshire
In 2014, ULAS archaeologists returned to Pineham in Northamptonshire to carry out a second season of excavation. Now, with two seasons of fieldwork completed, the large-scale excavation has investigated a total of 12 hectares of land in advance of major residential development for Taylor Wimpey (East Midlands). The excavations have focused on two fields, targeting…
Secrets beneath Jubilee Square revealed
First published 13/04/2015, Updated 14/02/2024 In 2013 and 2014 archaeologists from ULAS carried out archaeological monitoring during construction of Leicester’s new Jubilee Square. The site, at St Nicholas Place, was at the historic heart of the Roman city and later medieval borough. In the Roman period much of the site was occupied by the southern…
FIND SPOTLIGHT: Leicester’s link with Roman Egypt
This small, rectangular ivory panel (just 57mm long) was found during the excavation of a large Roman townhouse in Leicester’s north-east quarter (today situated beneath the John Lewis car park on Vaughan Way). It is from a box and it is an extraordinary find. Relief-carved ivory boxes are extremely rare discoveries and this fragment is exceptional…
FIND SPOTLIGHT: Britain’s oldest coin?
This Roman Republican silver denarii was found in the Hallaton treasure hoard. It was struck in Rome before the Roman general Scipio defeated Hannibal and could have been made as far back as 211 BC, which would make it one of the oldest coins found in Britain. The coin depicts the goddess Roma on one…
Archaeologists return to Roman mosaic site
In Autumn 2014, ULAS archaeologists returned to a site in Leicester, that they first investigated in 2012, to carry out a second phase of work. The site is on the corner of Highcross Street and Vaughan Way, between All Saints’ Church and the John Lewis multistory car-park. In 2012, archaeologists excavated seven trenches in order…
Iron Age treasure found in Northamptonshire
A 2012 ULAS project near Weston by Welland in Northamptonshire has uncovered a small cache of Iron Age silver coins. The site is located on a prominent hilltop, with spectacular views over the surrounding countryside, and lies within a rich Iron Age and Roman landscape. Significant sites nearby include the Gartree Road, which runs south-east out of Leicester…
Treasures in the Kitchen: Archaeological investigation of Reynard’s Kitchen, Dovedale, Derbyshire
Working with the National Trust and the Defence Archaeology Group’s Operation Nightingale, archaeologists from ULAS have recently undertaken an archaeological excavation at Reynard’s Kitchen, Dovedale, Derbyshire. The programme of controlled excavation work took place within a small cave set into the Dovedale gorge walls following the chance find of four Iron Age and Roman Republican…
Iron Age and Roman occupation unearthed at the new Stamford AFC Stadium
Last year, ULAS undertook an archaeological excavation at the proposed new Stamford AFC stadium at Ryhall Road, north of Stamford, Lincolnshire. The work was commissioned by the Burghley House Preservation Trust with R G Carter as the main site contractor. Features discovered date to the late Iron Age and early Roman period. Two large boundary…