Roman finds on display at Rugby Art Gallery and Museum

A team from Wessex Archaeology discovered a treasure trove of Roman pottery while digging on land off Ashlawn Road.

The potsherds - fragments - include a Severn Valley Ware tankard, back-burnished cooking pots and Mancetter-Hartshill mortaria, devices for grinding food which were manufactured in Warwickshire from 100 to 400 AD.

Archaeologists also discovered pieces of Samian Ware, distinctive red pottery made in Gaul during Roman times.

The finds have now gone on display at Rugby Art Gallery and Museum's Archaeology Gallery, home to artefacts discovered during excavations at the site of the Roman town of Tripontium, near Rugby.

Catherine Shanahan, senior collections officer at Rugby Art Gallery and Museum, said: "The quantity of Roman pottery discovered by the team from Wessex Archaeology, together with the remains of enclosures, pits and post holes, prompted Archaeology Warwickshire to carry out a full-scale excavation of the site.

"The excavation found pit alignments and roundhouses dating from both the Bronze Age, 1000 to 500 BC, and the Iron Age, 500 BC to 43 AD, and further evidence from the Roman period, including kilns and a series of small enclosures which probably housed livestock.

"The evidence strongly suggests Romans were living near the site."

Cllr Sebastian Lowe, Rugby Borough Council portfolio holder for growth and investment, said: "A number of archaeological discoveries in recent years have helped shed new light on Rugby's rich history, in particular evidence of Roman settlements in Hillmorton.

"Experts have started analysing other finds unearthed during the excavation of the site off Ashlawn Road and we're looking forward to putting those artefacts on display at the Archaeology Gallery in the future."

The pottery finds can be viewed at the Archaeology Gallery until January.

For more information about exhibitions and events at Rugby Art Gallery and Museum, visit www.ragm.co.uk 

Photo captions: A team from Wessex Archaeology discovered a treasure trove of Roman pottery during a dig in Hillmorton.