Posted on 08/25/2010 5:30:47 PM PDT by SunkenCiv
The third phase of the Big Dig at Brading Roman Villa may well have been one of the toughest excavations eminent archaeologist Sir Barry Cunliffe had ever undertaken but it has yielded some treasures and a greater understanding of Brading's history up to its Roman occupation.
With the three-week dig ending [Friday], Sir Barry's team has unearthed, over the past two weeks, numerous pottery remains, ranging from pieces of amphorae to a tray for sifting sea water to extract salt.
The discovery of a second century BC saucepan became the earliest evidence of occupation on the site, pushing its history back as much as two centuries.
Examples of early jewellery were also found, which included an example of a small mid-first century AD brooch inlaid with enamel.
A butt beaker, a type of Gaulish pre-Roman period drinking vessel, bronze tweezers, a flagon and a cremation jar were also discovered.
During the first week of the dig, Sir Barry's team unearthed a rare cooking pot and a copper coin bearing the image of a goddess.
This year's dig concentrated principally on a site to the rear of the villa's car park.
There is, according to Sir Barry, strong evidence the villa was a high-status farmstead in the late Iron Age, trading with the Romans before the AD43 invasion of Britain.
"We've got reminders of Mediterranean manners and lifestyle before the Roman invasion and them being incorporated into community life," he explained. "It is likely salt was a product of this area. The farmstead may well date back to an earlier period of the Iron Age. The dig was unrelenting -- one of the toughest sites to dig any of us has ever seen.
"Yet it yielded a host of fascinating features and gave us a real understanding about the villa story."
(Excerpt) Read more at iwcp.co.uk ...
Then your Mom is supercool...ask her about the book ASAP.
Nor potatoes.
Good catch.
Ireland, Sicily, Russia, etc. did not exist as we know them today till New World foods came over.
Forgot Corn also.
Maybe it was an olive oil sauce.
England gave the world the Magna Carta in 1215 AD and surrender due to political correctness.
Europe’s only hope will be Italy, Germany, Austria, Poland and a few others who fought Islam many times. It is weird because the west and NATO were there to protect Western Europe from the East. I think maybe some day that Eastern Europe will and should invade Western Europe to drive Islam out.
Maybe it was an olive oil sauce.
England gave the world the Magna Carta in 1215 AD and surrender due to political correctness.
Europe’s only hope will be Italy, Germany, Austria, Poland and a few others who fought Islam many times. It is weird because the west and NATO were there to protect Western Europe from the East. I think maybe some day that Eastern Europe will and should invade Western Europe to drive Islam out.
"Your mother was a hamster and your father smelled of elderberries!"
I have a few friends who have related similar stories. Lots of German and Dutch up there in MI. Lovely state, nice people and it has been destroyed by unions, socialism, PC, liberalism, Dems, etc. Tragic.
Will you go and tell your master that Arthur from the Court of Camelot is here?
No chance you English bed-wetting types!
Germans and Dutch are from West Michigan (where I was raised) . I’m one of the Dutch! West Michigan is beautiful and should remain so...it’s the Republican side of the state.
I totally agree. It will probably be Poland and Serbia.
Yup. The only time I spent in MI was in Grand Rapids for a few days. It is a nice little town and the people are very nice. I flew in on a Sunday and asked the girl at the hip and modern Marriott if any restaurants were open. She said, well it is Sunday so most things are closed. I thought whta? Oh - Christian area (how refreshing) and just like Germany where nothing is open on Sunday - sadly that is changing.
Very pretty area and you can see why the Germans and Dutch settled there. Tragic about the state.
W. MI should split off.
“Alright then, I guess if someone is an expert in butt breakers at least antique but breakers are respectable. Carry on.”
Right-o. Don’t worry. ABB Experts are not easily dissuaded.
“a tray for sifting sea water to extract salt”. I checked the article, and that line is in the article.
A tray that sifts salt from salt water would be quite a discovery. I never knew dissolved salt could be sifted from water, fresh or salt.
Think of the economic advantages that ancient civilization must have gotten from such a wondrous tray.
Thank you, oh great and mighty Antique Butt Breaker Expert! You are truly an example to us all!
they never really tamed enough of Britannia to take it easy...Pax Romana notwithstanding
they always had their hands full with the Cornish, Welsh, Scots etc..9th legion sorta thing
and like many conquerers in one place long enough they became as Briton as Roman genetically
and faded away as Rome fell to the Gauls...they were needed back home more than in some far flung fish and chips joint
it was a lot to manage Empire wise
and the Saxons and Jutes and Angles were coming eventually anyhow..in numbers no one could stop...they were lucky they left when they did
everyone ended up there to some point till they figured out how to get here..over the big lake
It’s an odd choice of words to be sure. The method for obtaining sea salt crystals hasn’t changed since before Roman times.
I guess we’ll have to agree to disagree :’) but it’s nice to see it come up in conversation, definitely!
I don’t think they were *in* the beaker, just found in addition to it. :’)
Looks like the future was being made yesterday.
He’ll probably taunt us a second time. ;’)
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