Roman, Iron Age and Medieval Artifacts Found at Residential Development

Archaeologists have uncovered several artifacts, including jewelry and coins, from the Iron Age, Roman-era and medieval period at an excavation in the United Kingdom.

The artifacts came to light during a dig being conducted by Pre-Construct Archaeology (PCA) ahead of the construction of a residential development in the village of Stonham Aspal, eastern England, managed by house builder Orbit Homes.

The finds include a medieval gold ring, silver coins from the same period and more than 40 brooches dated to both the Iron Age and the Roman era. Researchers also uncovered a rare Roman copper-alloy vessel dated to the first century A.D.

The Roman Empire conquered most of Britain in the first century. The conquered territory, inhabited by Celtic peoples, became the Roman province of Britannia, which existed until the 5th century.

While some earlier Iron Age pottery has been unearthed at the site, the vast majority of the finds date from the Late Iron Age (perhaps 50 B.C. at the earliest) through to the mid/late 2nd century A.D.

"There is then a clear gap until we start to get medieval objects appearing as part of the background noise of the current village, possibly from the 11th century onwards," Tom Lucking, the PCA archaeologist who directed the fieldwork at the site, told Newsweek.

The site where the artifacts were found, known as Homestead Park, is where Orbit Homes is planning to build 46 new houses. But the site appears to have had a long history as a residential location.

Evidence suggests that a number of Late Iron Age and Roman-era roundhouses once stood on the site, with the earliest stretching back to around 50 B.C. The roundhouses were not all necessarily standing at the same time, according to Lucking. Experts believe that the occupation of the site was primarily associated with agricultural activities.

"There was no hint that the Iron Age and Roman settlement would be present on the site until we did some initial trial trenching and found a lot of archaeology," Lucking said.

Among the significant aspects of the site is the concentration of so many roundhouses in a relatively small area, which is "unusual" for the region, according to the researcher.

The character of the Iron Age and Roman finds suggests the occupants were people that had some amount of wealth and were increasingly connected to the rest of Europe.

In terms of Iron Age and Roman objects found at the site, among the most notable is an unusual small copper-alloy bowl, which likely functioned as a drinking vessel and indicates a degree of wealth, according to Lucking.

A part of a sheath from a Roman legionary pickax was also found, suggesting access to Roman military equipment. In addition, researchers unearthed a small lead document seal, indicating someone had connections to the Roman government and may have been involved in local administration.

Archaeologists also found a range of brooches, some of which are in the form of animals, including a chicken, a duck and a deer.

The medieval objects generally represent the everyday items people would use and wear. A medieval gold ring found in the subsoil clearly belonged to someone with a degree of wealth, but the object has unfortunately suffered from centuries of damage.

"It has been amazing to learn more about the history of Stonham Aspal from the discoveries at Homestead Park. We enlisted PCA as part of the pre-construction programme we undertake at every site and we were delighted to see the archaeologists unearth such fascinating finds, which could have otherwise been left undiscovered for many more years," Andy Georgiou, sales and marketing director at Orbit Homes, said in a press release.

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Update 10/01/24, 10:28 a.m. ET: This article was updated to include additional comment from Tom Lucking.