Page 35 - link magazine

Th e Link Magazine • August 2004 35
Digging and discovering in North Swindon
Pete Wilson. Senior Archaeologist with the English Heritage Centre for Archaeology, reports on the
results of the big dig at Groundwell Ridge during June and July
Success - we think we know what built structures on site. From work Despite this we would need a lot
we are dealing with at last! done by Bryn Walters and Bernard more votive material to justify in-
The mysteries below the surface Phi ll ips in 1997, we know the other terpreting the site as a ritual corn-
at Groundwell Ridge are starting building, further to the west, is plex.
to reveal the evidence of a bath well-preserved. Religion permeated most aspects
suite in a villa complex - a range of We have recovered large quan- of Roman period life and house-
roomsincludingacoldplungebath tities of Roman building material: hold shrines and even a possible
with floors surviving in place and tile, brick and roofing slates, as nymphaeum, or shrine to a water
a number of other rooms, includ- well as pottery produced in the nymph as Bryn and Bernard found
ing a very complicated hot range, Swindon area and as far afield as in 1997, would readily fit within a
that would have formed part of a France and the Mediterranean. villa complex.
much larger building. Metal finds have included coins Right, the plunge bath, built in differ-
That building would have been and a lead plaque featuring a Ro- cut time periods, evidenced by lasers
one of two major Roman stone— man goddess. of tiles at two levels
Youngsters from across Swin-
don were able to learn how ar-
chaeologists go about their busi-
ness in a dig classroom specially
built next to the main ancient
monument. After instruction they
were able to scrape away the
soil and discover artifacts to
stimulate their interest in history
and Swindon's heritage.
Left, Year 5 children from Abbey
Meads School working next to a
wall and mosaic, from left, Mat-
thew Greenwood. Ashley Oakham,
Ross Clark, Taylor Sampson-
Elliott.
Right, a member of the 7th Swin-
don (Abbey Meads) Scout Group
AK
with a piece of Roman 'treasure.'

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