One of the earliest Roman settlements ever to be discovered in the Yorkshire[1] region has been unearthed by a group of crowdfunded archaeologists.
The exact location of the high-status settlement has been kept a secret to protect it from night hawkers (illegal metal-detectorists) and looters, but archaeologists have described it as astounding.
The first sign that there may be something worth exploring at the site came three years ago when some metal detectorists uncovered a hoard of 2,000-year-old silver coins.
Friends Paul King, Robert Hamer and Robin Siddle found the hoard of 18 silver coins in 2015, but the discovery has been kept secret until now, to enable archaeologists to explore the area, which appears to be a high-status Roman settlement.
Last week more silver coins were uncovered, with hundreds of Roman pottery sherds and a tiny brooch, found on one of three neonatal burials.
Lisa Westcott Wilkins, who has been managing the excavation, said: “This is one of the earliest Roman settlements in the north that we have discovered to date. It has felt like a Richard III moment in terms of excitement,” referring to the discovery of the remains of the Plantagenet king under a car park[2] in Leicester in 2012.
The finds so far date from the 1st century, she added: “All the coins date back to the time of the emperor Vespasian [AD 69–79], when the Romans marched north and established a centre at York.
“Some of the items we have found have been very exciting. These people were burying infants with jewellery – there was a beautiful brooch – which would have been for a cloak. This suggests to us that it was high status.”
The excavation is being...