by
Teffont Archaeology
21st November 2024
Community volunteers were amazed to discover a major Roman villa in a small excavation run last month by Teffont Archaeology in the Chalke Valley in south Wiltshire. Funded by the National Heritage Lottery Fund through Cranborne Chase National Landscape’s Chase and Chalke Landscape Partnership Scheme, over 60 volunteers helped excavate and record mosaics, painted wall plaster and large stone buildings at the site over two weeks.
The site was initially highlighted by local metal-detectorists reporting a large number of Roman finds to the Portable Antiquities Scheme at Salisbury Museum, following which archaeologists were called in to investigate the site.
Dr David Roberts of Cardiff University, who co-directed the project, said “We’re delighted to have discovered the first known Roman villa in this part of south Wiltshire working with our local volunteers. The site was likely the centre of a significant estate in the later Roman period, and its owners must have extracted a great deal of labour and surplus from the local farming communities to fund their luxury lifestyle.”
The main villa house is over 35m long, with several additional buildings including a large bath house, a multi-storey barn, and an enigmatic concrete-floored structure which may have been an outdoor pool. The high-quality mosaics include elaborate geometric patterns and would have shown off the site’s owners’ cultural sophistication to visitors.
Dr Denise Wilding of Teffont Archaeology, who co-directed the project, said “The high-status objects from the site, particularly furnishings such as the painted wall plaster and columns, demonstrate the wealth and power of those living here. These artefacts are especially significant due to the lack of recent excavations of high-status sites in this area. We’re very grateful to the landowners of the site for allowing the excavation on their land”.
Rob Lloyd, who manages Chase and Chalke, said “Everyone at Chase and Chalke is really excited by these discoveries made by our local communities. Over the summer we’ve worked with Teffont Archaeology to provide hundreds of free volunteering opportunities in archaeology at two projects, and have seen the immense difference these activities make to people’s wellbeing and engagement with their local heritage”.
The archaeological team will now work on analysing the finds from the site, and next year will give a range of talks locally about the results. Volunteers will also be taking part in processing the finds and learning about the site in events at Salisbury Museum, who are partners in the project