Reconstruction of Caerleon in the Roman period, showing the newly discovered monumental suburb (© 7reasons)
Posted on 08/14/2011 3:20:18 PM PDT by SunkenCiv
For more than 2000 years a suburb of monumental Roman buildings lay undiscovered beneath a modern South Wales town, but now archaeologists from Cardiff University hope to reveal the secrets of this fascinating ancient site.
In spring 2010, staff and students from the School of History, Archaeology and Religion located a complex of buildings outside the Roman fortress at Caerleon. The 'Lost City of the Legion' -- as it has been called -- was completely unknown and is a major addition to our knowledge of Roman Britain.
Geophysical surveys taken by the Cardiff team at the time of the discovery showed buildings that could have included markets, bath houses and temples. Small test trenches also revealed what is thought to have been a quayside wall where ships would have docked and unloaded their cargoes for the military garrison at Caerleon and other forts in Wales...
Dr Peter Guest, School of History, Archaeology and Religion said: "The great thing about an archaeological discovery like this is there are lots of new questions that we just don't have definite answers to at the moment. The presence of this suburban complex implies that the fortress was intended to become a major administrative centre in western Roman Britain, but for some reason this never happened. When was it built? What were the buildings for? Who were the people using them and what happened to them after the legion left Caerleon? That's what we're hoping our excavation of this important site will tell us."
(Excerpt) Read more at pasthorizonspr.com ...
Reconstruction of Caerleon in the Roman period, showing the newly discovered monumental suburb (© 7reasons)
The Roman town of Isca was much larger than previously thought [Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play.]
The staff was found by a team working at the Roman fortress in Caerleon
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The only military to have done more building than fighting.
I think that I must disagree - both the British and American military have built much and over a much larger geographic area and done so in both war and peace.
Now if you made it built in stone, I would surely agree. [grin]
They probably all do that. :’) Most armies spend most of their time not fighting; the Roman army spent most of their time constructing roads, bridges, forts, and (from time to time) walls (besides Hadrian’s and the Antonine walls in Britain, they also built the Limes in Germany). And of course, Drusus (brother of Tiberius, perhaps the best generals who were also brothers ever produced by Rome) dug that canal to reroute part of the Rhine in order to move troops and supplies by water instead of overland.
Yes. Considering what it took to construct things in those times, it's hard for me to imagine what they did. Rome had some purpose beyond conquest.
Thanks.
Seems I’m in sync with the fraulein.
FWIW, I think I’ve noticed a surprising, to me, interest in Roman history among Germans. I imagine they see that as either part of their history or as precursor to their modern history.
In the 19th c someone who found out about the Varian disaster raised money for a monument to Arminius. And eventually it got built. In the wrong place. :’)
There’s a range of views, so I’m glad your in sink.
I got a broken link for your image here. I don’t think that this is a linkable image although I can go to see it (2 Roman Soldiers complaining about building rather than fighting.)
I couldn’t figure out the problem either, and you’re right, going to the image directly seems to work. But even after that, it won’t load into the message. Ah well.
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