Tag Archives: Roman

Date for the Diary: 27th September. Announcing a change to the next TAS Lecture | Street House Before the Saxons With TAS Member Dr. Stephen Sherlock in which he will be presenting, for the first time, news of a recently excavated site “of regional or perhaps national significance”

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27th September | Street House Before the Saxons  | Dr. Steven Sherlock 7.30pm at Stockton Central Library TS18 1TU. Guests are welcome for £4 each on the door.

Unfortunately, due to research commitments Debora Moretti has had to cancel her September lecture.  We are delighted, however, that Stephen Sherlock has agreed to provide a talk on the amazing archaeology that has been revealed at Street House extending from earliest times up to the creation of Anglo-Saxon cemetery.
IA Rhouses

Excavations at Street House, near Loftus, since 1980 have revealed a wealth of evidence for different sites for most periods in British Archaeology. The sites range from Neolithic burial sites, Bronze Age burials, ritual or ceremonial sites and settlements, Iron Age farmstead, village and industry, a Romano-British farmstead, settlement and evidence for jet, salt and pottery manufacturing.

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All of this was before the creation of a Royal Anglo-Saxon cemetery of national significance at the site. However, excavations in the last two years have revealed another site, not mentioned so far, that  is also of regional or perhaps national significance. This additional site will be presented in this lecture for the first time.

About the Speaker.

steveTAS member Steve Sherlock  has been a professional archaeologist for 36 years and has spent much of that time working in North East England. Much of his research has been focused on East Cleveland where he has undertaken a number of major excavations particularly on Iron Age and Anglo-Saxon sites. Commercially he has also excavated and published on later sites including medieval settlements at Castleton and Long Marston. He has been the archaeological clerk of works, working on the A1 road improvements in North Yorkshire, as well as other projects in the area. His work is published in regional journals and conference proceedings and in 2012 he published two Tees Archaeology monographs.

Street House Farm

The Street House Farm story is on display at Kirkleatham Museum. The display includes some of the rarest Anglo-Saxon finds ever discovered, shedding light on the extraordinary life of the Anglo-Saxon princess. The stunning collection found in Loftus, contains pendants and beads that have enabled a reconstructed Royal bed burial dating back to the 7th Century. Admission free and well worth a visit.

TAS LECTURE REVIEW | TAS member Sara Gibson reviews our last lecture by Lauren Wilkinson on recent developments at Vindolanda.

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TAS Lecture Review.

TAS member Sara Gibson reviews our last lecture by Lauren Wilkinson on recent developments at Vindolanda.

Lauren gave us an interesting and entertaining view of some of the findings and finds from the past year’s excavations at Vindolanda. As many will know, during the period of occupation the site included a fort and vicus which changed their location as the forts were rebuilt in each period of occupation. Of nine forts thought to have been built on the site during 1st – 5th Century, four have been excavated, at least in part. Below the later vicus, the Severan fort included two rows of roundhouses, the purpose of which is still unclear. The latest excavations have found what is thought could be a post-roman church apse with a water tank or ritual bathing pool nearby

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Lauren spoke about two particular themes: Evidence of Children at Vindolanda has been found in the form of toy weapons, small shoes and writing tablets, in addition to a mysterious child’s burial found underneath the barracks floor. Her second theme concerned “Social Life”: apart from the well-known “birthday invitation” tablet, found a few years ago, games, drinking vessels bathing clogs, and the bath-houses themselves all paint a vivid picture of life at Vindolanda.
Finally, Lauren reminded us that the Vindolanda Charitable Trust runs a very popular volunteer excavation programme from March – September each year. There are still a few places available for 2016, and the programme for next year will open in November. Details on the website

TAS LECTURE AND AGM | Reminder for Tue 26 January | AGM | Recent developments at Vindolanda | Lauren Wilkinson

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Jan 26th | TAS AGM plus Vindolanda: Recent Developments | Lauren Wilkinson 7.30pm at Stockton Central Library TS18 1TU. Guests are welcome for £4 each on the door.

Vindolanda lies just to the south of the curtain wall of Hadrian’s Wall and has a very different ‘feel’ to other sites along the Wall. It lies upon the first Roman frontier in the north – The Stanegate Road and in a stunning landscape which lets your imagination
really connect with its past. Although first built by the Roman army before Hadrian’s Wall Vindolanda became an important construction and garrison base for the Wall, a Hadrian’s Wall fort in its own right. During this time Vindolanda was demolished and completely re-built no fewer than nine times. Each re-build, each community, leaving their own distinctive mark on the landscape and archaeology of the site. After Hadrian’s Wall and the Roman occupation was abandoned by its imperial armies Vindolanda remained in use for over 400 years before finally becoming abandoned in the 9th century.
wild001Annual excavations have been carried out at Vindolanda for many years and have produced some stunning remains including the famous writing tablets, the finest collection of Roman footwear from the Roman Empire, textiles, pottery, militaria and personal items from the communities that lived there.

About the speaker

Lauren Wilkinson is Site Education Officer at Vindolanda Charitable Trust. She graduated
in Archaeology at Newcastle University and has worked at various museums across the North East in both front of house and education Lauren croppedroles, including Sunderland Museum and Winter Gardens, Discovery Museum, and Great North Museum: Hancock where she developed a passion in Roman archaeology. Lauren planned and delivered Roman based projects funded by the British Museum, as well as delivering many workshops, talks and tours for children and adults before being appointed to her current role at Vindolanda. In this lecture she will be bringing us up to date with the latest developments at this fascinating site.

 

TAS LECTURE | Reminder for Tue 24 Feb | Roman Binchester: Dr David Petts

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February 24 | Roman Binchester: Barracks, Bath-houses and Belief at a Roman Fort | Dr David Petts, Durham University 7.30pm at Stockton Central Library TS18 1TU. Guests are welcome for £4 each on the door.

Members will be able to collect the TAS Bulletin journal 19 (2014-15), Membership cards and 2015 Programme cards. If you are paying or renewing a subscription, please complete a Membership Form.

FINDS HANDLING!

BinchestergodRecent excavations at Binchester have revealed unexpectedly good preservation of the underlying archaeology. This lecture will provide a chance to hear about the range of exciting discoveries made during the 2014 season of work at the site.

The most spectacular developments have been the uncovering of one of the best preserved Roman bath-houses in northern Britain. Standing in places over 2m high, this structure is one of the highlights of the project. However, exciting progress has been made elsewhere including unpicking the complex remains of a Roman cavalry barrack, and its associated latrine block, and the exploration of structures dating to the very final years of the Roman presence in Britain. Finally, this lecture will explore the increasing evidence we’ve found about the religious belief and ritual activities of the population of Roman Binchester, including a discussion of a rare early Christian ring found at the site.

ac250609arc5About the speaker

David Petts is a Lecturer of Archaeology at Durham University and has been leading the Binchester project since 2009. He is a specialist in early Christianity in Britain with a particular enthusiasm for early medieval monasticism, and is currently in the early stages of developing a research project to explore the archaeology of Holy Island (Lindisfarne).

See you there!

Explore the 2015 TAS Lecture Programme »

TAS DIARY | Lecture: Roman Roads in North Yorkshire – The Enigmatic Tees Crossing | Sat 13 Dec

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Dear TAS Members and Friends,

John Brown, an Independent Researcher and Field Archaeologist, will give the fourth in a series of talks on The Roman Roads of North Yorkshire at Thornton le Street Village Hall between Thirsk and Northallerton on Saturday 13 December 2014 at 2.00 pm. Admission will be £2 at the door. This programme is designed to both report on recent activity and to encourage future research within a professional framework.

About the Lecture

John is Manager of the Mid-Tees Research Project which was founded with the purpose of locating and investigating Roman and early medieval archaeology in the Tees Valley. The present focus is a multi-period site covering an area of approximately 1 square km at Sockburn on the River Tees, which is the postulated Tees crossing of Cades Road (Margary 80a), and has been known as a crossing point of the Tees from early times.

Image | © 2014 Getmapping Plc.

Cade’s Road is named after John Cade of Durham, an 18th-century antiquarian who in 1785 proposed its existence and possible course from the Humber Estuary northwards to the River Tyne, a distance of about 100 miles (160 km). Although evidence exists for such a road on some parts of the proposed route, particularly through North Yorkshire, there is still some doubt regarding its exact course and where it crossed the Tees. The road’s Roman name is unknown, although Cade referred to it as a continuation of Rycknild Street.

The road began at Brough-on-Humber where there was a ferry, a Roman fort and civilian settlement (Petuaria) alongside a major Celtic settlement. It is suggested that it ran northwards through Thorpe le Street and Market Weighton, before gradually turning westwards (possibly following the line of another Roman road) until it reached York (Eboracum). From York it continued northwards to Thornton-le-Street and on to cross the River Tees. It is then assumed to pass through Sadberge and east of Durham City on its way to the Tyne.

An alternative crossing has been suggested between Middleton St George and Middleton One Row, where it is suggested that ‘Pounteys Lane’ is named after a Roman bridge (Bridge of Tees). Indeed bridge remains, and Roman artefacts, have been found there in recent times. This accords with the generally accepted course of the road through North Yorkshire which requires a crossing at this point. John will illustrate his work at Sockburn and his claim that the current evidence shows this crossing to be the more likely.

More Info | Further details can be obtained from John Sheehan: Telephone 01609 771878 or email jgsheehan@btinternet.com

Kind Regards,

Spencer Carter | TAS Chair & eCommunications

TAS NEWSFLASH | York Potash Project public consultations Jun-Jul 2014

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YorkPotashYork Potash Public Consultations

Pre-application public consultation events for key aspects of the York Potash Project

Dear TAS Members and Friends,

The latest York Potash (Sirius Minerals) company newsletter has details of their pre-application public consultation events for key aspects of the still-controversial York Potash Project. These focus on a series of local public exhibitions taking place in July. If you are unable to make these events, please visit their website where you can view their project brochure and give them your views online at http://yorkpotash.co.uk/consultation.

Have your say!

Details
York Potash is currently conducting pre-application consultation on its mine and mineral transport system which include:

  • Mine-head facility near Sneaton village, 3 miles south of Whitby
  • 23-mile sub-surface mineral transport system between the mine and Wilton, Teesside
  • Materials handling facility at the Lackenby/Wilton industrial complex
  • Harbour facility near Redcar steelworks on Teesside

“More details on…other impacts such as Historic Environment and Hydrogeology will be available in the Environmental Statement once the planning applications have been submitted.”
– Project Brochure

The polyhalite would be extracted via the mine shafts and transported to Teesside on an underground conveyor belt system in a tunnel that has an average depth of 250m. Once at Teesside the polyhalite would be granulated at the materials handling facility, with the majority being exported from the nearby harbour.

The consultation period runs from 26 June to 22 July 2014 with regional exhibitions throughout July.

Kind Regards,

Spencer Carter | TAS Chair & eCommunications

The header image and wording are those of York Potash and do not reflect the views of TAS.

TAS NEWSFLASH | Free Archaeology Open Day Sat 31 May | A1 Catterick, North Yorkshire

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2015-05_A1Catterick_Logos2015-05_A1Catterick_BodyA1 Leeming to Barton Improvements
Free Archaeology Open Day

Saturday 31 May 2014
Catterick Racecourse, North Yorkshire

Dear TAS Members and Friends,

This is a fantastic chance to see the archaeological work being undertaken in advance of improvements to the A1 Leeming to Barton phase. Many of you will be aware of the important Roman remains around Cataractonium. In a guided walk and site visit, TAS archaeologist Stephen Sherlock and English Heritage’s Neil Redfern will explain the latest discoveries in a landscape occupied for over 10,000 years. Once on site, Northern Archaeological Associates staff will show the progress and finds so far.

Watch out for TV coverage too!

Details

Meet at Catterick Racecourse car park.
This event will provide a first-hand opportunity to see one of the excavation sites where digging has been taking place prior to the construction of the A1 Leeming to Barton Scheme.

  • Guided walks will leave at hourly intervals between 10:30 am and 3:30 pm
  • Walks will cross rough ground so suitable footwear is required
  • There will be opportunity to view finds from the recent excavations

Whilst this will be a free event, there will be a charity bucket available, should anyone wish to make a donation to the Great North Air Ambulance.

Kind Regards,

Spencer Carter | TAS Chair & eCommunications

Image | © NAA.