The Carlisle Cricket Club excavation site in England continues to amaze archaeologists and enthusiasts. Since the excavations began in 2021, several remarkable discoveries have already been made.
Roman baths were built on what is now a cricket club ground. Researchers have discovered a piece of Tyrian purple, a pigment that was used in ancient times. This pigment extracted from the glands of marine molluscs was even more valuable than gold.
These Roman baths are the largest building on Hadrian’s Wall.
So archaeologists from the Uncovering Roman Carlisle (URC) program have decided to resume excavations this summer with a very specific goal in mind. They want to unearth an unexplored part of the baths so that they can more accurately determine their original size.
Although there are still parts to explore, these baths are already considered to be the largest building of Hadrian’s Wall. As a reminder, Hadrian’s Wall is a stone fortification. It was built by the Romans between 122 and 127 AD.
Built across the entire width of northern England, this wall, approximately 120 kilometres long, formed the north-eastern border of the Roman Empire in present-day England. It protected the Roman Empire from the ‘barbarians’.
The soldiers of the Roman army, their families and merchants lived there year-round. Several infrastructures such as the thermal baths had therefore been built there.
Archaeological excavations open to volunteers
As explained le site du programme Uncovering Roman Carlisle (URC)the baths are “the largest building on Hadrian’s Wall to date”. Their exact size has not yet been determined. However, experts estimate that it is at least 60 metres long and 50 metres wide.
The unique thing about the URC is that the program invites volunteers from all over the world to participate in the excavations. They do not need to have archaeological experience to help unearth the remains of the past.
The archaeologists have thus relaunched a small excavation session open to all. The research began on July 30 and will end on August 2, 2024.
Thousands of objects already discovered on the archaeological site
“These digs are very small and very short, but we would like visitors to come and see what we are doing,” says Frank Giecco, the site manager.
“It’s great to be able to explore an area that has hardly been explored before to try to answer some more questions about the site,” he adds.
More than 3,000 objects, including 600 Roman coins, 800 hairpins and 70 carved gemstones, have already been discovered. Thus, even “small” excavations are sufficient to unveil the mysteries of the Roman baths.
The archaeologists then plan to return in the fall, then in 2025 to continue the discoveries of the Roman baths.
Source : BBC
