Site location plan showing features of the Roman town of Durnovaria
An Archaeologist investigating Roman floor layers
Posted on 09/03/2011 7:26:32 PM PDT by SunkenCiv
As the site occupies an area near to the southern edge of the Roman town of Durnovaria it was predicted evidence of Roman town life would be uncovered during the works. The prediction proved correct; immediately below the modern overburden, the remains of Roman houses were uncovered.
These buildings were built around 100AD and were orientated according to the town's street plan, which it has been possible to map using evidence from other excavations in Dorchester.
These houses were in the vicinity of the southern wall of the Roman town and the public baths. They were well built with stone wall foundations and according to convention at the time were adorned with painted plaster walls, areas of mosaic floors and tiled roofs. As represented by the discovery of a column base one house may also have had a colonnaded walkway, perhaps around a courtyard or garden area.
Deposits associated with these buildings contained artefacts representative of everyday domestic life including pottery, coins, animal bones and also the burial of a baby.
The houses survived until they were systematically demolished around 300 AD. After this no further structures were built and robbing of useful building material continued right up until the 17th Century.
Beneath the floors of the Roman houses large deposits of rubble had been used to level off the site prior to their construction. Amongst this material were finds including a fragment of a Kimmeridge shale bracelet, pieces of Spanish amphora (used to transport olive oil) and a collection of gaming counters made out of chalk and pieces of pottery.
(Excerpt) Read more at wessexarch.co.uk ...
Site location plan showing features of the Roman town of Durnovaria
An Archaeologist investigating Roman floor layers
darn Romans are everywhere!
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| GGG managers are SunkenCiv, StayAt HomeMother & Ernest_at_the_Beach | |
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It's been a while since I thanked the people at Archaeologica, which I mine for many of these topics. |
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It says "Romans go home".
BTTT.
If it weren’t for Bushius and Cheneyius their civilization would still reign.
Obamius Kenyanicus just inherited too much to overcome.
See. The more things change...
Excuse me for being extremely stupid, but why are these finds always under the earth?
It would seem to me that the original towns stripped away all trees, etc, so that leaf decay would not have created new earth around the old structures. If new structures were built upon the rubble of an old structure, I would have thought that the new structure would have used the stones, etc. from the old structure to make it much easier to rebuild.
So why are all these finds of ruins under so much earth???
Flooding?
................Flooding?..............
Never heard of a worldwide flood in Roman times, but a possibility, as Pompei ash was transformed into a lava like rock overbear over mucho years.
>> darn Romans are everywhere!
You got that right, even in Dorchesta.
Worms.
Earthworms turning over the soil. Or so it's been said.
Only read the headline. Were they North End guys that were dispatched by Whitey.
Archeology ping!
They should have changed the name from Dunovaria to DunRoman.
Ever seen how much dust can accumulate in your home in a months time? That’s with four walls keeping the wind from depositing particulates 24/7. Given a couple of thousand of years, it’s a miracle that we have what we have above ground.
Brian: It... it says "Romans go home".
Centurion: No it doesn't. What's Latin for "Roman"?
Brian hesitates
Centurion: Come on, come on!
Brian: (uncertain) "ROMANUS".
Centurion: Goes like?
Brian: "-ANUS".
Centurion: Vocative plural of "-ANUS" is?
Brian: "-ANI".
Centurion: (takes paintbrush from Brian and paints over) "RO-MA-NI". "EUNT"? What is "EUNT"?
Brian: "Go".
Centurion: Conjugate the verb "to go"!
Brian: "IRE"; "EO", "IS", "IT", "IMUS", "ITIS", "EUNT".
Centurion: So "EUNT" is ...?
Brian: Third person plural present indicative, "they go".
Centurion: But "Romans, go home!" is an order, so you must use the ...?
He lifts Brian by his short hairs
Brian: The ... imperative.
Centurion: Which is?
Brian: Um, oh, oh, "I", "I"!
Centurion: How many Romans? (pulls harder)
Brian: Plural, plural! "ITE".
Centurion strikes over "EUNT" and paints "ITE" on the wall
Centurion: "I-TE". "DOMUS"? Nominative? "Go home", this is motion towards, isn't it, boy?
Brian: (very anxious) Dative?
Centurion draws his sword and holds it to Brian's throat
Brian: Ahh! No, ablative, ablative, sir. No, the, accusative, accusative, ah, DOMUM, sir.
Centurion: Except that "DOMUS" takes the ...?
Brian: ... the locative, sir!
Centurion: Which is?
Brian: "DOMUM".
Centurion: (satisfied) "DOMUM"... He strikes out "DOMUS" and writes "DOMUM"
Centurian: ..."-MUM". Understand?
Brian: Yes sir.
Centurion: Now write it down a hundred times.
Brian: Yes sir, thank you sir, hail Caesar, sir.
Centurion: (saluting) Hail Caesar. If it's not done by sunrise, I'll cut your balls off.
Brian: (very relieved) Oh thank you sir, thank you sir, hail Caesar and everything, sir!
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