HISTORIC remains of a Roman fort unearthed during excavations in Exeter will be on display to the public for the first time this weekend.
As the Echo revealed in the summer, the city's early history could soon be rewritten as a result of the extraordinary find on the former St Loyes Foundation site in Topsham Road.
And visitors will have the opportunity to explore the area at a open day on Saturday.
With Roman remains dating back to approximately AD50, the site owners Helical Bar PLC and Urban Renaissance Villages said they are keen for the general public to visit and gain a better understanding of how the city's history was shaped by the conquering Roman army.
The most significant remains were uncovered in the second phase of excavation, where long sections of parallel defensive ditches enclosing the fort were revealed. Despite much of the evidence being destroyed during the building of the original St Loyes complex, some of the ditches have survived, in places to depths of more than two metres.
However, it's the Roman pottery found that has helped determine the date of the fort's occupation, while other finds suggest the site was also used for Roman civil occupation. The tours of the site will take place between 10am and 4pm and will last approximately 30 minutes, with visitors being shown around by experts from Exeter Archaeology.
On display will be various finds dating from the Roman occupation as well as pre-historic artefacts, suggesting the site could have been occupied for more than 2,000 years.
Urban Renaissance Villages' chief executive Bill Gair said: "We are proud to be involved in such a fantastic discovery and are in talks with Exeter Archaeology to display some of the pottery finds in the library of Millbrook Village, ensuring the history of the site endures."
Funded by the developers, Exeter Archaeology are continuing the process of 'preservation by record', recording all finds and features on paper and in photos and drawings.
Uncovering such remains however exposes them to the elements and so the professional archaeologists are fighting a battle to record all details before the remains begin to weather.
Once this process is complete, plans for Millbrook Village, the latest in a number of specialist UK developments by the company for the actively retired, will commence.
Author: Tom Bevan | Source: This is Exeter [October 12, 2010]