Roman settlement found next to prehistoric Britain's 'devil's hill'
Evidence of a Roman sacred site has been discovered [in Wiltshire] at the foot of a man-made hill created thousands of years before the Romans arrived in Britain, it was announced yesterday.
English Heritage called the uncovering of the settlement a "startling discovery", and all the more so because it lies next to 5,000-year-old Silbury hill, which at 130ft is Europe's largest man-made prehistoric monument.
The original purpose and use of the Neolithic hill, which took an estimated 20 million man hours to make, still mystifies archaeologists.
Yesterday's disclosure indicates that a Roman community was equally taken with the Wiltshire hill and established a sacred settlement in its shadow, some 3,000 years after it was created.
The discovery of a settlement the size of 24 football pitches is "quite unexpected" said Dr Amanda Chadburn, an English Heritage archaeologist and team leader.
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English Heritage called the uncovering of the settlement a "startling discovery", and all the more so because it lies next to 5,000-year-old Silbury hill, which at 130ft is Europe's largest man-made prehistoric monument.
The original purpose and use of the Neolithic hill, which took an estimated 20 million man hours to make, still mystifies archaeologists.
Yesterday's disclosure indicates that a Roman community was equally taken with the Wiltshire hill and established a sacred settlement in its shadow, some 3,000 years after it was created.
The discovery of a settlement the size of 24 football pitches is "quite unexpected" said Dr Amanda Chadburn, an English Heritage archaeologist and team leader.