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…
Tag: Rutland
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…
Digging for Britain: Leicester archaeology projects to feature on BBC
Projects led by Leicester archaeologists are to be showcased on the new series of BBC Two’s primetime TV series Digging for Britain in the New Year. Three University of Leicester Archaeological Services (ULAS) projects from across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland are to feature on the latest series, presented by Professor Alice Roberts. The major discovery…
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…
Secrets from the Soil – new book launched!
Our new book celebrates our 25th Anniversary and presents the best archaeological discoveries in Leicestershire and Rutland from the last quarter century.
Dig Oakham Castle 2: Week 1 update
“It’s been a wet week” is perhaps an understatement for the first seven days of excavation at Oakham Castle but fortunately favourable ground conditions and the dedication of our volunteers mean we have lost less than half a day of digging time and half way into the dig we are making some exciting discoveries. The…
Dig Oakham Castle 2!
Archaeologists return to explore more of Oakham Castle’s hidden history. We’re back! Over the next two weeks (12th – 23rd June) we will again be digging in the inner bailey at Oakham Castle in Rutland. Our community project, commissioned by Rutland County Council and funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund as part of the…
Oakham Castle Community Dig: Photo gallery and 3D models
Below is a selection of photographs and 3D models from the April 2018 community dig at Oakham Castle. Excavation gallery: Artefact gallery: 3D Models: Oakham Castle – Trench 1 mid-excavation by Archaeological Services (ULAS) on Sketchfab Oakham Castle – Trench 1 post-excavation by Archaeological Services (ULAS) on Sketchfab Oakham Castle – Trench 2 post-excavation by…
Oakham Castle Community Dig: Some final reflections…
Now that the excavation at Oakham Castle has successfully concluded, the trenches backfilled and we have left site, there is time for some final reflections. The project has been a fantastic success. Over two-weeks, 50 volunteers took part in the dig and we could not have achieved what we did without their dedication and enthusiasm,…
Oakham Castle Community Dig: The dig so far…
With our first week of digging drawing to an end, we are starting to make some exciting new discoveries at Oakham Castle. Work so far has focused primarily in Trench 1 to the north-east of the Hall. First, turf and topsoil were removed with a mechanical digger. This revealed that various earth mounds within the…
Oakham Castle Community Dig: An Introduction
Welcome to the Oakham Castle Community Archaeology Dig. This is our first post of several about the upcoming excavation, so come back to discover more about what we find as the excavation progresses. What are we doing? Well, over two weeks at the end of April 2018, University of Leicester Archaeological Services in partnership with…
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