Coordinates: 54°18′15″N 1°34′53″W / 54.304141°N 1.5813715°W / 54.304141; -1.5813715

Aiskew Roman villa

From WikiProjectMed
Jump to navigation Jump to search

Aiskew Roman villa
Aiskew Roman villa is located in North Yorkshire
Aiskew Roman villa
Location within North Yorkshire
General information
Architectural styleRomano-British Villa
LocationAiskew, North Yorkshire
grid reference SE2733989918
CountryUnited Kingdom
Coordinates54°18′15″N 1°34′53″W / 54.304141°N 1.5813715°W / 54.304141; -1.5813715

Aiskew Roman villa is a Roman villa in Aiskew, North Yorkshire, England. It was identified by geophysical survey in July 2013 and partly excavated between November 2014 and February 2015.[1][2]

Discovery

The villa was discovered in 2013 by a geophysical survey of the site in advance of construction of the Bedale, Aiskew, and Leeming Bar bypass. The site was excavated by Pre-construct archaeology.[2] There was no prior indication of a villa at this site and Peter Rowe, North Yorkshire's County Archaeologist described the discovery as "a surprise, it was a shock".[3] Only a small part of the villa complex was excavated during this scheme, with over 95% of it reportedly left undisturbed.[3][2]

Interpretation

The site is close to the Roman road of Dere Street and is less than 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) from Cataractonium (Roman Catterick).[4]

The villa is of the 'winged -corridor' type and has a long central range with a 'wing' at each end.[2] It dates to the 3rd and 4th centuries AD. One of the rooms at the north-east end included an opus signinum floor. A room with a hypocaust was also included at the north wing. Finds from the site include a silver stylus, a stamped amphora rim from north Africa, Nene Valley Colour Coated Ware, and samian ware.[3] It was constructed over a pre-existing field system and an enclosure dating to the late Iron Age to early Roman period.[5]


References

  1. ^ Historic England. "Aiskew Roman villa, 550m west of Aiskew Grange (1426407)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 27 October 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d Shepherd, John (2021). Before Bedale: Archaeological excavations along the route of the Bedale, Aiskew, and Leeming Bar Bypass. Pre-Construct Archaeology. pp. 32–54.
  3. ^ a b c "95 per cent of Roman villa in North Yorkshire field is yet to be uncovered reveals archaeologist". Yorkshire Post. 14 September 2021. Retrieved 27 October 2021.
  4. ^ "Heated dining rooms and butchery: The robbed Roman villa found by archaeologists in Yorkshire". Culture24. 3 April 2015. Retrieved 27 October 2021.
  5. ^ "Founded in Prehistory". Roman Yorkshire: The Newsletter of the Roman Antiquities Section of the Yorkshire Archaeological Society. Yorkshire Archaeological Society. 2023. p. 2-5.