Turkdean, Gloucestershire
28 February 1999

At the end of the 1997 'live' broadcast, hundreds of viewers demanded to know more about the Roman villa site that Time Team had uncovered at Turkdean in Gloucestershire. This year, for the first time revisiting an excavation, the Team came back to the site to see if they could make sense of the spectacular geophysics results that they had not had time to investigate during the 'live'. Suggestions of what these could mean ranged from a temple with a sacred spring to a barn, but what the Team actually found bore no relation to either of these.

Teaser

The discovery of this rusty item, found in a spring by a metal detectorist, thrilled expert Lindsay Allason-Jones. What is it?

Answer

This is a fan-shaped brooch, decorated with about a dozen triangles of red and orange enamel. It was complete except for the pin on the back. It might have been thrown into the spring by the owner as a ritual offering.

The 'FIL' stone

Crane view of trench 6

Carenza dresses in appropriate Romano-British dress. Photos: Mick Aston

Further reading

The Landscape of Roman Britain by Ken and Petra Dark (Sutton Publishing, 1997) paperback £10.99
A history of Roman Britain, considering the effects of human activity on the landscape, with particular attention paid to the Iron-Age background.

Roman Britain by Martin Millett (English Heritage, 1995) paperback £15.99
Making full use of the archaeological material available, this introductory study of four centuries of Roman presence in Britain explores the central themes of daily life, laying particular emphasis on the social, economic and cultural history.

Roman Gloucestershire by Alan McWhirr (Sutton Publishing, 1991) paperback £6.95
A summary of the evidence for the Roman towns of Cirencester, Bath and Gloucester, as well as for the rich rural villas.
 
Roman Villas and the Countryside by Guy de la Bédoyère (English Heritage, 1993) paperback £15.99
Places villas firmly in the context of the wider landscape and examines their place in the overall economy of Roman Britain.

Vitruvius: On architecture, translated by Frank Granger (Harvard University Press, 1996) hardback £12.95
Studied by architects from the Renaissance to the present, Vitruvius's book is an incredible DIY handbook ranging from recipes for plaster and paint to the aesthetic use of marble and the construction of siege engines. An invaluable reference for Time Team cameos and a guide to the styles and means of construction of Roman buildings that survive today.

Women in Roman Britain by Lindsay Allason-Jones (British Museum Press, 1992) paperback £9.95
Tombstones, writing tablets and curse tablets have revealed a great deal about the lives of Romano-British women, their social status, health, pastimes, dress, jewellery, hairstyles, homes and religion. The author has produced a wide-ranging survey of the information.

Websites

This website contains links to other websites which are not under the control of and are not maintained by Channel 4 Television. Channel 4 Television is not responsible for the content of these sites and does not necessarily endorse the material on them.

The Hechingen-Stein Roman villa
This villa is in Germany, but this guided tour is the best I have yet seen – and it is very similar to villas in Roman Britain.

The Newstead Project
A Roman fort in Scotland.

Hadrian's Wall
World heritage site of the Roman wall.

Roman Military sites in Britain

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