Roman Town Found in London

Excavators exploring the site of a planned hotel in west London stumbled upon an amazing archaeological find: well-preserved remains of a Roman settlement. Just a few feet below the surface, archaeologists found several burial sites and a Roman road. So far 11,500 fragments of pottery, 100 coins, and jewelry have been recovered from the settlement, making it the richest find in some time, the Independent reports. It also sheds light on how Roman London operated, with satellite villages connected by roads serving as arteries of transit and commerce.

"The archaeology at Syon Park has given us a valuable, rare insight into the daily life of an agricultural village on the outskirts of Londinium (London) that would have supplied the Roman city and provided shelter for travelers passing through," says an archaeologist with the Museum of London Archaeology. "It helps us build a picture of the Roman landscape and shows how the busy metropolis of Londinium connected with the rest of Roman Britain."
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