Glimpses into lives of Roman suburbanites in Bath revealed in rare finds

A Roman bone pin, an accessory crafted from animal bone often used as a hairpin or a dress fastener, was among the finds discovered at Bath Assembly Rooms. Photograph: James Beck/National Trust Images/James Beck View image in fullscreen A Roman bone pin, an accessory crafted from animal bone often used as a hairpin or a dress fastener, was among the finds discovered at Bath Assembly Rooms. Photograph: James Beck/National Trust Images/James Beck Glimpses into lives of Roman suburbanites in Bath revealed in rare finds Exclusive: Restoration work at Bath Assembly Rooms unearths Roman ditches containing pottery, coins and fragments of a military helmet The restoration of a Georgian building in Bath once frequented a tantalising glimpse into the life of the city’s Roman suburbanites. A network of Roman ditches containing pottery, coins, glassware and a fragment of a military helmet has been found beneath Bath Assembly Rooms in the north of the city. Experts say the finds expand the known extent of Roman occupation in Bath and suggest further remains are likely to lie under neighbouring Georgian buildings and streets. The Roman baths that give the city its modern name are one of the best-preserved ancient sites in northern Europe, attracting more than 1 million visitors a year. Previous archaeological finds have revealed that in Roman times there were suburbs around the baths complex and, further away, comfortable country villas. But relatively little had been found in an area north of the city, partly because the city’s Georgian buildings and streets are so solid – and well protected – that the sort of construction project that might unearth remains rarely takes place. Marek Lewcun, of Wessex Archaeology, said this made it all the more exciting when Roman artefacts were discovered beneath Bath Assembly Rooms. “There was a gap in our knowledge and this helps fill in a missing link,” he said. View image in fullscreen Recording the details of the Roman ditch. Photograph: National Trust Ruth NewellLewcun said the finds suggested the residents of this part of Bath were the sort that might live in the outskirts of a modern city: “So we’re probably looking at the ordinary folk that you might find in a modern suburb today, people who had small shops supplying pottery, bread, things like that. “We are looking at people who had gradually integrated with those who had come from all over the Roman empire.