Roman remains unearthed in the heart of Exeter city centre
One of the largest archaeological excavations since Princesshay is currently being undertaken in Mary Arches Street, in advance of a new student development.
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Pottery and floor tiles found in the excavation [Credit: Exeter City Council] |
The site is just inside the walled Roman and medieval city, behind the city wall, which runs the other side of Bartholomew Street, and is within the corner of the earlier Roman legionary fortress.
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Evidence of ramparts surrounding a Roman fortress [Credit: Exeter City Council] |
Comprising around 6000 men, it would have been occupied for about 20 years from about AD 55 to 75. The bathhouse under the green in front of the Cathedral is the most well-known part of it.
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An intact Roman road [Credit: Exeter City Council] |
The walls have mostly been removed, to reveal remains of a large Roman town house underneath, dating back to the 2nd to 4th centuries.
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A roman coin [Credit: Exeter City Council] |
The main defensive ditch of the earlier fortress has also been partly dug, and it is expected that further remains of the timber built Roman military buildings will be revealed under the later town houses.
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Intricate pottery fragments [Credit: Exeter City Council] |
There is also a coin of the later Emperor Constantine, who founded the modern Istanbul, as well as personal items, and fine pottery imported from Europe at the time, and later on in the 17th to 18th century.
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A child's bracelet [Credit: Exeter City Council] |
Source: The Exeter Daily [August 14, 2017]
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