Chedworth Roman Villa: Mosaic's age stuns historians

[guy]

The Roman Villa at Chedwoth was discovered in 1864 by a gamekeeper and his dog in search of a prey.

The mosaics were well preserved and have been examined for years.

Recent radiocarbon testing has surprised investigators, however: It was created in the mid-400s or later. This is at least a generation or two after the Romans had officially left Britain.:

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A recently discovered Roman-style mosaic is providing extraordinary new evidence that Roman civilisation didn't universally collapse after Imperial Roman authority came to an end in Britain. Scientists have dated the mosaic – found in Gloucestershire in 2017 - to the mid or later fifth century, a generation or more after Britain ceased to be part of the Roman Empire in 410 AD.

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It is the first time in Britain that archaeologists have been able to date a mosaic to the post-Roman period.The discovery is additional evidence revealing that Britain's 'Dark Age' wasn't universally as dark as often portrayed.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/archaeology/mosaic-chedworth-gloucestershire-roman-britain-national-trust-b1768780.html

 

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Previously, it had been believed all Roman towns and villas were abandoned and fell into decay at the end of the 4th Century.Charcoal and bone at Chedworth provided radiocarbon dates that show the recently-discovered mosaic must have been created after 424 AD.

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-gloucestershire-55256415

 

 

Summary: Evidence continues to mount that the "fall of Rome" was a long process, not a singular event. Despite the lack of official presence in Britain after 410 AD, Roman influence continued to impact local British culture for generations.

It will be interesting to see how radiocarbon testing, DNA analysis, and other more modern scientific tools continue to reshape our view of ancient Roman history.

 

 

 

Edited January 17 by guy