Latest news with #CotswoldArchaeology
Observer
08-07-2025
- Science
- Observer
Iron Age Roman settlement uncovered in UK after rare sword find
Archaeologists have uncovered a rare Iron Age Roman settlement following the discovery of two Roman cavalry swords near a Cotswolds village. The excavation, prompted by geophysical surveys, suggests the site may include a Roman villa. The swords, found during a metal-detecting rally two years ago by Glenn Manning, were later donated to the Corinium Museum in Cirencester. Manning described the find as "amazing," sharing that he had a feeling something special would be uncovered the day before. The swords, likely used by Roman cavalry from the early second to third century AD, are known as spatha and are associated with mounted soldiers. Historic England's surveys revealed potential prehistoric and Romano-British remains, including three or four Iron Age ring ditches, a large rectangular enclosure, and Roman limestone structures possibly forming a villa. Further excavations this year uncovered settlement evidence spanning several centuries, emphasizing the area's historical significance. More archaeological work is planned, and authorities may recommend the site be protected as a scheduled monument. The discovery offers insights into the transition from Iron Age to Roman Britain, particularly during the tumultuous period of Roman conquest. Ian Barnes of Historic England noted the importance of these findings for understanding settlement patterns in Gloucestershire. Peter Busby of Cotswold Archaeology praised the efforts of volunteers and professionals, noting how they transformed a ploughed field into a story of a multi-century settlement. Emma Stuart, director of the Corinium Museum, highlighted the significance of the rare weapons, enriching the story of Roman life in the Cotswolds. The swords will be on display at the museum from August 2. —dpa
Euronews
04-07-2025
- Science
- Euronews
Rare sword find leads to discovery of Roman-era settlement in England
What began as an extremely rare discovery of two Roman swords by a metal detectorist has led to an enormous Early-Middle Iron Age find in the Cotswolds in south-west England. Archaeological excavations at the site in Gloucestershire have revealed an extensive Roman era settlement from the first and second centuries. The site near Willersey, funded by Historic England and directed jointly with Cotswold Archaeology, suggests possible evidence of a Roman villa, which may also have a pair of flanking wings, one at either end of a central range. Once Historic England has the final report on the archaeological work, it will be able to consider whether to recommend to the UK government that the site be protected as a scheduled monument. Iron Roman cavalry swords The dig follows the discovery of two iron Roman cavalry swords, possibly displaying traces of their scabbards, during a metal detecting rally in the north of the Cotswolds in March 2023. The swords were originally reported to and identified by the Portable Antiquities Scheme, who arranged with the finder, metal detectorist Glenn Manning, and the landowner for them to be donated to the Corinium Museum in Cirencester. The swords were X-rayed at Historic England's science facility at Fort Cumberland in Portsmouth. Analysis of the weapons reveals they were constructed differently: one has evidence of decorative pattern welding running down the centre, whereas the other sword is plain. The pattern-welded sword would have been more expensive to produce and therefore higher status. The swords will be available for the public to see at the Corinium Museum from 2 August. Although historically important, at the time of discovery they were not protected by laws such as the 1996 Treasure Act as no gold or silver were discovered within the assemblage that contained the two iron swords, several copper alloy scabbard fittings and strap fittings and a fragmentary copper alloy bowl. It is believed these 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. How they came to be there though, is currently unknown.
ITV News
04-07-2025
- Science
- ITV News
Iron Age Roman settlement uncovered after rare sword find
An Iron Age Roman settlement has been discovered following a rare sword find, archaeologists have excavation near Willersey, Gloucestershire, has revealed what could be evidence of a Roman villa, marking a remarkable archaeological find that spans several centuries of British investigation began two years ago when metal detectorist, Glenn Manning, made an extraordinary discovery during a metal detecting rally. Glenn Manning, who was only on his second detecting expedition, uncovered two iron Roman cavalry said" 'Finding two swords in the same spot was amazing, the morning before the rally, I had a feeling I would find something special. I'm excited to find out more about them.' The swords were donated to the Corinium Museum in Cirencester, where they will form part of the museum's collection. Following the sword discovery, Historic England conducted geophysical surveys of the area, which revealed the possibility of extensive prehistoric and Roman remains. The subsequent excavations, carried out earlier this year, uncovered evidence of settlements spanning several centuries. The archaeological team discovered three or four Iron Age ring ditches, a substantial rectangular enclosure, and the remains of Roman limestone buildings, which could constitute a villa. Ian Barnes, senior archaeologist at Historic England, explained the significance of the find: '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.' The long swords, known as 'spatha,' were used by Roman cavalry from the early second century AD through to the third century AD. These weapons are contemporary with the villa, though archaeologists remain uncertain about how they came to be at the site. Peter Busby from Cotswold Archaeology praised the collaborative effort: '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.'Further archaeological work is required before Historic England can make recommendations to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport regarding the site's protection as a scheduled Roman cavalry swords will be on display for public viewing at the Corinium Museum from 2nd August, offering visitors the opportunity to see these extraordinary artefacts that have unlocked centuries of local history.
The Guardian
04-07-2025
- Science
- The Guardian
Detectorist's Roman swords find unearths iron age settlement in Gloucestershire
It began with an extraordinary piece of fortune: a metal detectorist on only his second expedition coming upon two very rare cavalry swords on the brink of being lost for ever. A dig by professional archaeologists and volunteers at the spot in Gloucestershire has now found that the swords may have been buried in the grounds of a grand Roman villa built on the site of an iron age settlement. The work has led to the hypothesis that the swords, which go on display at the Corinium Museum, in Cirencester, from 2 August, may have been hidden in a Roman courtyard or garden to stop them falling into the hands of the Saxons as they surged through the region. Peter Busby, a project officer for Cotswold Archaeology, compared the luck of finding the swords and the success of the dig to the 'stars aligning'. He said over the years many detectorists had combed the field near Willersey, close to the border of Gloucestershire and Worcestershire. They were found in 2023 about an inch below the surface. Busby said the swords had been clipped by farm machinery so may have soon been destroyed had they not been discovered. 'It was phenomenally lucky,' he said. 'The swords were within half an inch, no more than an inch, of oblivion.' The weapons were examined at Historic England's science facility at Fort Cumberland, in Portsmouth. One has evidence of decorative pattern welding running down the centre whereas the other is plain. The pattern-welded sword would have been more expensive to produce and therefore of higher status. It is believed the long swords or 'spatha' were used by the Romans on horseback from the early second century to the third century AD. Funded by Historic England and undertaken in partnership with Cotswold Archaeology, the dig took place in driving rain in January. The team found Roman building materials including ceramic roofing, tiles that may have been part of an underfloor heating system, and fragments of painted wall plaster, suggesting a villa from the second or third century. They also found evidence of settlements from hundreds of years before, as well as the remains of a person from the early to middle iron age (800-100BC) who was buried wearing an iron band on their upper right arm, and a horse skull in a nearby pit. Sign up to Headlines UK Get the day's headlines and highlights emailed direct to you every morning after newsletter promotion Busby said the work was gruelling but the brilliance of the discoveries kept everyone going. 'This is the bee's knees. It captured the imagination of the volunteers and professional archaeologists alike. Working on site on grim, dank, dark January days didn't faze anybody because of the excitement.' Once Historic England has the final report on the archaeological work, it will consider whether to recommend to the UK government that the site be protected as a scheduled monument. More work will be needed to confirm the presence of the villa and to try to understand its links with the iron age settlement and why the swords ended up there. Ian Barnes, a senior archaeologist at Historic England, said the findings revealed more about what must have been a tumultuous time. 'This excavation provides valuable insights into the nature of settlement patterns from the early iron age through to the Roman period in Gloucestershire.' The metal detectorist Glenn 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.'
Glasgow Times
04-07-2025
- General
- Glasgow Times
Iron Age Roman settlement uncovered after rare sword find
The excavation near a Cotswolds village has revealed what could be evidence of a Roman villa. The dig 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. Sue Clemmitt holds the finger bones from a separated human arm which had been found (Cotswold Archaeology/PA) The swords, which were found by metal detectorist Glenn Manning, 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 conducted geophysical surveys of the area where the swords were found, which revealed the possibility of extensive prehistoric, and Romano-British remains. Excavations earlier this year found evidence of settlements spanning several centuries. 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. More archaeological work is required, and Historic England could then recommend to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) that the site be protected as a scheduled monument. Peter Busby with the two swords (James Harris/PA) 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.' Probable Roman pottery excavated by Historic England staff (Cotswold Archaeology/PA) 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. 'Wiltshire Conservation has identified the scabbard remnants and this adds another dimension to this discovery.' The swords will be on display for public viewing at the Corinium Museum from August 2.
