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A magnetometer survey of British land near a buried Roman city has revealed two previously undiscovered Roman villas outside the city.
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The property is owned by England’s National Trust and houses the Attingham Estate in Shropshire.
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The discovery includes road evidence, helping to form a new map of the ancient site.
The Attingham Estate in England, 18Th century mansion open to the public with 200 hectares of parkland, invites visitors to stroll through the buried ruins of the Roman city of Wroxeter.
Now, there are more Wroxeters to unload.
Archaeologists conducted a geophysical survey using magnetometer research and discovered two previously unknown Roman villas, roadside cemeteries, farmsteads, and road networks that all provide a powerful story about the 2,471 acres under the British National Trust.
“We’ve seen signs of these remains over the years,” National Trust archaeologist Janine Young said in a statement, “with visible evidence in cropmarks, aerial photographs, and through small surveys and excavations. But until now, what lies beneath the ground has never been fully investigated.
Survey magnetometers record subtle changes in the local magnetic field, allowing them to survey large areas in relatively short periods of time. The Attingham Estate property survey created a “complete ‘map’ of what lies beneath our feet,” says Young, “providing fascinating insights into our hidden past, revealing previously unknown sites.”
The vast Attingham estate in Shropshire features plantations, gardens, woodlands and agriculture. In addition to Woxeter and other Roman activities, previous studies have uncovered prehistoric human activities as well as Anglo-Saxon architecture and farming through the medieval and post-medieval periods, according to Newsweek.
Previous research helps tell the story of Wroxeter. The land was first occupied by what the Romans called the “Cornovii,” who used the landlocked area for farming. With no evidence of war, the inhabitants managed cattle and sheep and, instead of pottery, used vessels made of leather and wood.
The first Roman army arrived at the end of the 40s and built a fortress for 14Th southern legion of Wroxeter. A decade later, the fort was replaced by a new one built less than a kilometer north. The fort became a support for the city in the future and probably the death of the local population, because the soldiers took a lot of land to build a new fort, enough for 5,000 soldiers and 500 cavalrymen, along with many workshops, shops, and hospitals. The city grew up around the fort in the 90s AD.
“Although we know a lot about the Roman town of Wroxeter from a survey carried out in the 1990s,” Winn Scutt, senior property curator at English Heritage, said in a statement, “the wider area around the site still has a lot to do. done. open.”
The National Trust says that, while additional research is needed to understand the two new villas, previous discoveries in the country show this type of villa often used a popular Roman style of heating known as hypocausts (underfloor heating systems) and bath houses. , mosaic floors, and painted plaster walls. Roman villas are not unlike English properties, and many are spread across England, including six in Shropshire.
The recently discovered villas show evidence of at least two phases of construction or occupation, with floor plans showing internal room divisions and properties showing outbuildings.
Finding two villas outside of Wroxeter on a road away from the town shows how an ancient town can flourish. Archaeologists have also found farmsteads believed to be from the Iron Age or Romano-British period, which would have helped supply food to the larger city. The team also found roads that helped map the area, as well as roadside cemeteries.
“The Attingham Estate has always been known to have high historical and archaeological significance,” said Young, “which has now been confirmed.”
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