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A large settlement, a Roman villa and many household objects are among the discoveries at an ancient site in OxfordshireWhen archaeologists began excavating land near the iron age hillfort at Wittenham Clumps, a famous Oxfordshire landmark, they were hopeful of unearthing something of interest because the area has been occupied for more than 3,000 years. But nothing prepared them for the excitement of discovering...

Fifth-century discovery suggests break with Rome did not cause steep decline in living standards for allLife at the start of the dark ages in Britain is generally thought of as a pretty uncomfortable time, an era of trouble and strife with the departure of Roman rulers resulting in economic hardship and cultural stagnation.But a stunning discovery at the Chedworth Roman villa in the Cotswolds...

Unique 2,000-year-old discovery made by staff in lockdown at Northumberland’s Vindolanda MuseumThe Roman author Pliny the Younger advised “kissing the hairy muzzle of a mouse” as a cure for the common cold. His fellow countrymen linked mice to the god Apollo, who could bring deadly plague upon them with his arrows.So they might not have seen the funny side of a lifelike mouse made...

Volunteers find ‘astounding’ number of unknown sites in south-west from aerial surveysDigging at archaeological sites around the UK has been brought to a shuddering halt by the coronavirus, but research being undertaken from home by a group of amateurs is helping to redraw the map of the south-west of Britain in Roman times.Volunteers poring over detailed aerial surveys of the borderlands between Cornwall and...

Discovery of unusual cemetery in Somerton offers clues as to standing of those buried thereThe resting places of more than 50 adults and children have been found in an unusual Roman cemetery unearthed during building work for a new school in Somerset.Archaeologists say the discovery at Somerton, near Glastonbury, sheds significant light on life and death in the south-west of Britain after the Roman...