Possible Roman Oyster Processing Site Found in England

EAST YORKSHIRE, ENGLAND—BBC News reports that a possible oyster processing site was uncovered on the east coast of northern England on the banks of the Humber Estuary during work to update flood defenses. Jennifer Morrison of York Archaeology and her colleagues think the site was used by Romans who lived in a nearby settlement. The shape of oyster shells recovered from the site suggests that the oysters had not been farmed, but grew naturally on a shell reef. “We know that, at this time, oysters would have been plentiful and that they were a staple part of the diet,” Morrison said. “We also know that British oysters were prized by the Romans, and it is quite possible that some of these oysters found their way back into Italy,” she added. To read about discarded oyster shells unearthed at a Roman villa in Wiltshire, go to "A Villa under the Garden."