Cambridge archaeologists have just started excavation on the Addenbrooke's site where the University's new cancer research centre is to be built. They have found evidence of a major late Iron Age/early Roman settlement which spans the Roman Conquest of the mid first century AD.
Cambridge archaeologists have just started excavation on the Addenbrooke's site where the University's new cancer research centre is to be built. They have found evidence of a major late Iron Age/early Roman settlement which spans the Roman Conquest of the mid first century AD.
Although the excavation is still at an early stage, already a cemetery, pottery kilns and a number of 'post' built houses have been identified amid the numerous ditches that criss-cross the site.
Chris Evans, Executive Director of Cambridge Archaeological Unit said:
"The excavation is one of the largest ever to occur in the Cambridge area. It is set to revolutionalise our understanding of just what 'Romanisation' and, earlier, continental influence meant to the lives of the region's populace.
"This excavation will provide crucial insights into the burial rites, settlement architecture and agricultural regimes. We hope to learn a lot more about the daily life of its inhabitants during the centuries spanning the invasion."
The new cancer research centre is a collaboration between the University of Cambridge, Cancer Research UK and Addenbrooke's NHS Trust. Detailed plans for the centre were approved at a meeting of the City Council on Wednesday (9 October). Once formal approval has been granted by the Regent House and the archaeological work has been completed, building work on the centre will commence with an estimated completion date of early 2005.
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