Thursday 4 September 2014

Ravenglass Roman fort dig needs you!

Archaeologists in Cumbria are seeking volunteers to help them explore the remains of a Roman settlement.

Ravenglass Roman fort was occupied from AD 120 until the 4th Century. During the dig, beginning on 12 September, archaeologists hope to find more evidence of the civilian settlement from 1,800 years ago.

The £125,000 project received funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund, Lake District National Park Authority and Copeland Community Fund. The site's unearthed bath house is still in good condition. The remains of the bath house of Ravenglass Roman fort, established in AD 130, are among the tallest Roman structures surviving in northern Britain: the walls stand almost 4 metres (13 feet) high. The fort at Ravenglass (whose earthworks can be seen near the bath house) guarded what was probably a useful harbour and there is evidence that soldiers stationed here served in Hadrian's fleet. The fort at Ravenglass guarded what was probably a very serviceable harbour. Excavations in the 1970s on the surviving fort platform (between the railway and the sea) indicated that the fort had probably been founded during the reign of the Emperor Hadrian (AD 117–38). However, beneath it, and on a different alignment, was an earlier fort, presumably dating from the first century AD.

Lake District National Park's archaeology and heritage assistant, Holly Beavitt-Pike, said: "This is a rare opportunity for people to get involved, not just in understanding their rich heritage, but to leave a lasting legacy."

There will also be open days at the site on 12, 13 and 27 September.

From BBC news 23/8/14

Read more about Ravenglass Roman fort >

Ravenglass Roman fort dig needs volunteers >



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