Ancient Roman settlement uncovered after rare swords found near Cotswolds village
Archaeologists said their excavation had uncovered what could be evidence of a Roman villa.
It follows the discovery of two iron Roman cavalry swords, possibly displaying traces of their scabbards, during a metal detecting rally near Willersey two years ago.
Found by metal detectorist Glenn Manning, the swords were later donated to the Corinium Museum in Cirencester.
Mr Manning said: "Finding two swords in the same spot was amazing.
"The morning before the rally, I had a feeling I would find something special.
"This was only my second time metal detecting. I'm excited to find out more about them."
Historic England then carried out geophysical surveys of the area where the swords were found, which revealed the possibility of extensive prehistoric, and Romano-British remains.
Evidence of settlements spanning several centuries was then found during excavations earlier this year.
These include three or four Iron Age ring ditches, a substantial rectangular enclosure, and remains of Roman limestone buildings, which could be a winged villa.
Following more archaeological work, Historic England could then recommend to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) that the site be protected as a scheduled monument.
It is believed the long swords or "spatha" were used by the Romans on horseback from early in the second century AD through to the third century AD.
They are contemporary with the villa, but it is not known how they came to be there.
Ian Barnes, senior archaeologist at Historic England, said: "This excavation provides valuable insights into the nature of settlement patterns from the Early Iron Age through to the Roman period in Gloucestershire.
"This new evidence will help us to understand more about what happened around the period of the Roman Conquest, which must have been a tumultuous time."
Peter Busby, from Cotswold Archaeology, said: "I am very proud of how much our team of volunteers, professional archaeologists, and metal detectorists achieved in 15 days, despite the heavy January rain.
"We turned a ploughed field, the swords, and geophysical anomalies into the story of a settlement spanning hundreds of years - the first stage in telling the history of these fields and their cavalry swords."
Read more:
Emma Stuart, director of the Corinium Museum, added: "It's a privilege to acquire such rare artefacts.
"This valuable addition of Roman weaponry at the museum broadens the story of life in the Cotswolds during the mid to late Roman period."
The swords will be on display for public viewing at the Corinium Museum from 2 August.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Scientists launch controversial project to create the world's first artificial human DNA
[Source] Researchers at five British universities have launched the Synthetic Human Genome Project (SynHG) with an initial grant of approximately $12.6 million from Wellcome, the U.K.'s largest biomedical research charity. Unveiled on Thursday, the five-year effort is led by molecular biologist Jason W. Chin at the Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge and aims to assemble an entire human chromosome, base by base, inside the lab. Writing a genome Instead of tweaking existing DNA with tools such as CRISPR, SynHG will attempt to 'write' long stretches of code before inserting them into cultured human skin cells to study how chromosome architecture drives health and disease. The project builds on Chin's earlier success constructing a fully synthetic E. coli genome. The laboratory playbook blends generative-AI sequence design with high-throughput robotic assembly, allowing scientists to plan and assemble millions of DNA bases. Patrick Yizhi Cai of the University of Manchester, who oversees these methods, says the approach 'leverag[es] cutting-edge generative AI and advanced robotic assembly technologies to revolutionize synthetic mammalian chromosome engineering.' Trending on NextShark: Why experts are cautious Geneticist Robin Lovell-Badge of London's Francis Crick Institute emphasized the importance of understanding not only the scientific potential but also the societal values and risks involved. He warned that as research progresses, there is the possibility of creating synthetic cells that could, if used in humans, lead to tumors or produce novel infectious particles if not carefully designed. Lovell-Badge recommended that any engineered cells should include safeguards, such as inducible genetic kill switches, to ensure they can be eliminated from the body or targeted by the immune system if needed. Sarah Norcross, director of the Progress Educational Trust, echoed the need for transparency and public engagement, highlighting that synthesizing human genomes is controversial and requires researchers and the public to be in active communication. Norcross welcomed the project's built-in social science program, which surveys communities across Asia-Pacific, Africa, Europe and the Americas as the science unfolds and is led by social scientist Joy Yueyue Zhang, as a way to ensure that public interests and concerns are considered from the outset. Trending on NextShark: Road ahead Over the next five years, the consortium will iterate design–build–test cycles, aiming first for an error-free synthetic chromosome representing roughly 2% of human DNA. Alongside the laboratory milestones, the team plans to release an open-access toolkit covering both the technical and governance lessons learned. Trending on NextShark: This story is part of The Rebel Yellow Newsletter — a bold weekly newsletter from the creators of NextShark, reclaiming our stories and celebrating Asian American voices. Subscribe free to join the movement. If you love what we're building, consider becoming a paid member — your support helps us grow our team, investigate impactful stories, and uplift our community. ! Trending on NextShark: Download the NextShark App: Want to keep up to date on Asian American News? Download the NextShark App today!
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Modella AI and AstraZeneca link for cancer clinical development
Modella AI has signed a multi-year agreement with AstraZeneca to expedite AI-driven oncology clinical development. The partnership will give AstraZeneca access to Modella AI's multi-modal foundation models. The agreement will enable the use of Modella AI's latest models, with rich feature extraction from different types of data, to speed up clinical development across AstraZeneca's worldwide oncology portfolio. AstraZeneca oncology research and development (R&D) chief AI and data scientist Jorge Reis-Filho stated: 'At AstraZeneca, AI is integrated across every aspect of clinical development. 'Through the use of foundation models, combined with our unique datasets and AI expertise, we are confident in our strategy to accelerate development and increase the probabilities of success in our oncology clinical trials.' AstraZeneca will use Modella AI's platform for cancer research R&D capabilities to improve biomarker discovery and clinical development while enhancing patient outcomes. By integrating these advanced foundation models into its R&D pipeline, AstraZeneca seeks to enable data-driven discovery methods with increased speed. Modella AI CEO Jill Stefanelli stated: 'Foundation models are transforming precision medicine. They are the backbone of AI-powered biomedical discovery and mark the first step toward fully autonomous AI agents. 'Our state-of-the-art multimodal foundation models provide powerful features from different data types for downstream tasks. When integrated with AstraZeneca's research engine, they will have the potential to accelerate data-driven development and enable the development of new AI agents that can automate complex R&D workflows.' In June 2025, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved AstraZeneca and Daiichi Sankyo's Datroway (datopotamab deruxtecan) for the treatment of adults with locally advanced or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) that exhibits mutations in the epidermal growth factor receptor. "Modella AI and AstraZeneca link for cancer clinical development" was originally created and published by Pharmaceutical Technology, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
Carbon capture and storage ‘becoming a practical solution' despite hurdles
Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is no longer just a future concept but is becoming a practical solution helping companies to plan cleaner energy projects and meet climate and sustainability goals, a new report outlines. According to GlobalData's newly published Carbon Capture and Storage report, over 54 commercial-scale carbon capture projects were active in the energy sector globally as of 2024, with that figure expected to rise to upwards of 350 by 2030. It adds that over 80% of carbon capture units around the world, both active and upcoming, are attached to energy assets as the industry seeks to address its emissions. 'Over the past few years, CCS has gained significant momentum across the oil, gas and power sectors, driven by a convergence of technological advancement, policy support and investor demand for decarbonisation,' the report says. 'Companies are increasingly retrofitting facilities with advanced CCS technologies to reduce emissions, while governments in regions such as the US, UK and Norway are backing these efforts through targeted incentives and funding programmes.' Despite this progress, GlobalData notes that the broader carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) industry still faces economic, regulatory and infrastructure barriers. Chief among these, it asserts, are the high capital and operational costs associated with the technology, relatively limited commercial use for carbon dioxide (CO₂) and a lack of strong market incentives. 'Infrastructure gaps, particularly in CO₂ transport networks and storage facilities, compound the issue, as does the complexity of retrofitting capture systems onto existing industrial emitters,' the report states. 'Regulatory uncertainty, particularly around cross-border CO₂ transport, permitting delays and undefined long-term liability for stored CO₂, further discourage investment, while the fragmented nature of the CCUS value chain makes end-to-end integration difficult.' Other hurdles for CCUS include social acceptance and the technical complexities of the technology. Not only can it be viewed as a tool to prolong fossil fuel use rather than a genuine climate solution, but there is also a lack of public understanding about CCUS. In addition, the report notes that 'challenges around capture efficiency, monitoring of CO₂ storage and also carbon pipelines and the lack of standardised approaches complicate deployment at scale.' "Carbon capture and storage 'becoming a practical solution' despite hurdles" was originally created and published by Energy Monitor, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
