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The discovery of one of Roman Londons most significant buildings -
its amphitheatre - underneath the medieval Guildhall resulted from
major archaeological excavations which took place between 1985 and
1999 as part of the City of London Corporations ambitious programme
of redevelopment at the Guildhall. The history of the Guildhall and
its precinct from the 12th to the 20th centuries is the subject of
a companion volume. This book describes the construction,
development and disuse of the amphitheatre, from the 1st to 4th
centuries AD. Constructed on relatively low ground in the
north-west part of Londinium, the first amphitheatre was built in c
AD 74 of timber. Evidence was recovered for the eastern entrance,
arena palisade, bank for seating and associated drains. The
amphitheatre was rebuilt shortly after AD 120, with masonry
foundations and walls, associated with new timber stands. The
evidence allows conjectural reconstruction and comparison with
other British amphitheatres. Abandoned by the mid 4th century, the
amphitheatre was largely demolished and sealed by dark earth. The
arena may have survived as an oval depression until the area was
reoccupied in the 11th century. Significant finds assemblages
include an early 2nd-century dump of glass cullet, lead curses from
the arena surface and samian pottery with gladiatorial motifs. The
amphitheatres remains are preserved and displayed in the basement
of the new Guildhall Art Gallery.
The river crossing and access to the River Thames were major
influences on the siting of Roman Southwark, where Watling Street
and Stane Street converged. Excavations at Courage's Brewery
revealed an archaeological sequence dating back to Prehistoric
times. The Roman remains begin from AD40-55 and show the
development of the site from the 1st to the 4th centuries, as the
area increased in wealth before the occupation phase ended to be
replaced with a cemetery. This excavation report provides important
new information about the development of Roman Southwark, leading
the way for further publication and research.
This report presents an overview of Roman urban development in
London south of the Thames. The establishment of the Roman bridge
and the first approach roads and landing places, made Southwark an
ideal location for the development of facilities for the
trans-shipment of goods between land and river. The wide range of
data from 41 previously unpublished north Southwark sites provides
the means for 'mapping' Roman activity in Southwark: the nature of
the early settlement, changing patterns of land use and broader
processes of social and economic change. Early land reclamation
preceded the establishment of a thriving trade centre involved in
the redistribution or marketing of locally processed and imported
goods, with evidence of a concentration of buildings burnt in
Boudican fire of AD 61 along the main road to the bridgehead.
Increased land reclamation and construction of more masonry
buildings in the 2nd century AD indicate further growth. By the 3rd
century large stone buildings at ten of the sites reported suggest
an administrative area housing official residences. After the mid
4th century the settlement contracted to the area immediately
around the bridgehead with a cemetery on previously occupied land
to the south.
The latest in a series of reports on the archaeological excavations
near London Bridge Station, this volume focuses on important
discoveries relating to the origins and development of Roman
Southwark. From the prehistoric period on this area formed the
northernmost end of a series of sandy islands in the tidal reaches
of the Thames. The earliest Roman features were drainage ditches
and quarry pits associated with the construction of a road to the
Thames bridgehead. Eight buildings were recorded along the eastern
side of the road, including a blacksmiths' workshop. All of these
buildings were destroyed by fire in the Boudican revolt of AD
60/61. New timber and masonry buildings were constructed in the
area during the late 1st and 2nd centuries. These included shops, a
market hall, and a warehouse. Excavations revealed that extensive
land reclamation took place on the marginal eastern fringes of the
island before the construction of 2nd and 3rd century houses. One
of these houses contained a mosaic, and painted wall plaster was
recorded to the west of the road with part of a large building
interpreted as a mansio .
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