Our fabulous volunteer team embarked on an exciting new project last week – processing artefacts unearthed at Chedworth Roman Villa in Gloucestershire.
Chedworth was one of the largest Roman villas in the country during its heyday in the 4th century. The buildings and artefacts uncovered here provide a fascinating insight into privileged society at the time. It is hoped that ongoing community excavations, organised by the National Trust and funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund, will reveal further information about when the villa was first built and the people who lived here.
The team at Wessex will be cleaning and packaging finds from the 2014 phase of excavation on behalf of the National Trust (NT). Artefacts include Roman ceramic building material, pottery and glass, as well as more recent finds from previous phases of excavation, including a ball point pen lid! There are also a large number of tesserae that have been dislodged from the impressive (but unexpected) mosaic floor unearthed last year. The project kicked off with a fascinating talk by NT archaeologist Nancy Grace about the history of the site and the recent developments. Find out more about the community excavation taking place at Chedworth on the NT archaeology blog.
By Laura Joyner, Community & Education Officer