Roman amphitheatre, burial of a pet cat among the new discoveries in Kent

[FfFfFfFF 58,127]

 

A big night out for the people of the Roman settlement at Richborough on the Kent coast about 2,000 years ago might have involved gladiatorial contests, wild beast hunting or the occasional execution of a criminal. 

Among the discoveries is a skeleton of a cat, nicknamed Maxipus by the excavation team, which was buried in an area of domestic settlement and is believed to have been a pet. 

“Normally you would expect it to have been dismembered by predators but it’s almost complete, so it looks like it was deliberately placed where it wasn’t disturbed,” said Pattison.

The excavation, delayed from last year because of Covid restrictions,began in mid-September and is due to finish next month.“

We knew the amphitheatre was there because of a partial excavation in 1849. We had a clue, but only a clue – so we wanted to find out more,” said Pattison.

The remains of the amphitheatre are on a low but prominent hill with an oval-shaped depression.

The settlement dates from the Roman invasion in AD43 to the end of Roman rule in about 410.

In the past few weeks, excavators have discovered details of how the amphitheatre was constructed.

The exterior wall was up to six metres thick and made of stacked turf, and the interior wall around the arena was made of locally quarried chalk blocks.

Source - https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/oct/28/amphitheatre-dig-kent-roman-town-richborough

[Wixson 5,004]

Reminds me of my city. 

[FfFfFfFF 58,127]

On 10/30/2021 at 5:01 PM, Wixson said:

Reminds me of my city. 

Do you live somewhere in Italy/ southern Europe?

[Wixson 5,004]

23 minutes ago, FfFfFfFF said:

Do you live somewhere in Italy/ southern Europe?

Italy's closest neighbours, haha. Pula, Istria, Croatia! It's a relatively small city (and country) with rich history. The Romans once ruled our little peninsula (Istria) so there's a bunch of monuments and cultural attractions. I think our amphitheatre might be one of the best preserved ones. Oh and, here's ours: 

Not as enormous as the one above but still standing! 

[FfFfFfFF 58,127]

5 hours ago, Wixson said:

Italy's closest neighbours, haha. Pula, Istria, Croatia! It's a relatively small city (and country) with rich history. The Romans once ruled our little peninsula (Istria) so there's a bunch of monuments and cultural attractions. I think our amphitheatre might be one of the best preserved ones. Oh and, here's ours: 

Not as enormous as the one above but still standing! 

The Romans left a legacy there even both in terms of architecture/ monuments and in terms of Language There are about 400 persons, I believe, living in Istria that speak the Istriot Language, which is a unique version of Romance close to Italian.