Monday 20 October 2008

Did the Romans do anything for Calne?

Latest results from the 'Seeking Roman Calne' project tell us that the Romans were certainly here and had come to stay.  Mapping find spots to date reveals that the main focus of their interest lay to the west of the present town centre, close by the native British Iron Age settlement  discovered in 2000, thanks to developers building to the east of the Northern By Pass.

 

Archaeology has a way of answering the first set of questions by posing a whole new set .

How much influence on their neighbours' way of life the new-comers may have had remains to be seen from a close study of the Iron Age finds and those to be brought in to the project.

 

The master map with the already recorded Roman finds marked in red will be on view together with some of the finds on Tuesday 28 October 2008 at the Finds Day to be held in the Calne Heritage Centre from 10am to 4pm.  Other patterns in red cluster around the present day A4 from Chilvester Hill to the west and north.  Still others lie to the south and west and along the Roman road between Calne and Heddington.

 

Among the experts identifying items brought in by the public will be Katie Hinds, Wiltshire's own Finds Liaison Officer from the Portable Antiquities Scheme and Mike Stone,  Curator of Chippenham Museum and Heritage Centre, well-known for his lectures on the History of Calne.  Further opportunities to have finds assessed will be from 6 to 9pm on Monday 10 November and on Saturday 22 November from 10am to 4pm.