Roman discovery on display at Rugby Art Gallery and Museum

The jar was unearthed in the summer by a team from Archaeology Warwickshire, who were digging at the site off Ashlawn Road.

The team discovered evidence of a settlement at the site dating back nearly 3,000 years, to the late Bronze Age, with a ten-metre diameter gully suggesting it was the base of a roundhouse.

Further gullies and pits dating from 500BC to 45AD revealed the settlement had grown significantly by the Iron Age, and when the Romans settled on the site it became home to at least three kilns - leading to the discovery of a plethora of pottery.

The prize find was a near fully intact Roman jar, which was only missing its rim. A hole cut in the grey ware jar's body suggests it was buried as part of a ritual.

The jar, which dates back to the early to middle part of the second century, has now gone on display at Rugby Art Gallery and Museum's Archaeology Gallery.

The gallery, which opened in October, includes artefacts discovered during excavations at the site of the Roman town of Tripontium on the outskirts of Rugby.

The gallery, designed to replicate a Roman market street, also includes pieces from the private collection of Matthew Bloxam, the Rugby-born antiquarian and amateur archaeologist.

Cllr Heather Timms, Rugby Borough Council portfolio holder for growth and investment, said: "The digs carried out at Ridgeway Farm have unearthed a new chapter in Rugby's Roman history and I'm delighted we've been given the opportunity to put the grey ware jar on display.

"The Archaeology Gallery has allowed Rugby Art Gallery and Museum to present our collection of Roman artefacts in an innovative, imaginative setting, which has proved popular with both visitors and school workshops."

The Roman jar remains on display at the Archaeology Gallery until the end of July.

For information about Rugby Art Gallery and Museum's school workshops, events and exhibitions, visit www.ragm.co.uk

Photo caption: Archaeology Warwickshire discovered a near intact Roman jar while digging at Ridgeway Farm. (Photo courtesy of Archaeology Warwickshire).