Roman-era remains found beneath Bath Assembly Rooms

Restoration work at Bath Assembly Rooms has uncovered Roman remains that offer new evidence of life in the city’s suburban areas, The Guardian reports. The finds were made beneath the Georgian building in Bath, which was once frequented by Jane Austen. Archaeologists discovered a network of Roman ditches containing pottery, coins and glassware, along with a fragment of a military helmet.

The material indicates that the site was used during the Roman period, although the supplied report does not provide dates for the objects or explain how the ditches were arranged. It also does not identify the owners of the building or describe the precise function of the area. The discovery is significant to the restoration project because it has revealed material from beneath a later historic structure.

The Guardian characterises the remains as a glimpse into the lives of Roman suburbanites, but the source material does not provide further interpretation of their occupations, homes or daily activities. The finds were described as rare and include both domestic items and a military object. No information is supplied about the conservation of the artefacts, whether they will be displayed or how the discovery will affect the ongoing restoration of Bath Assembly Rooms.