Abandoned Iron Age Settlement Excavated in England

ESSEX, ENGLAND—BBC News reports that archaeologists have found a ten-acre settlement made up of 17 roundhouses surrounded by a defensive structure that was burned down and abandoned in the late first century A.D. Researchers think the residents of this high-status village may have participated in the revolt against the Roman invasion led by Boudicca, the queen of the Iceni tribe. “The local Trinovantes tribe joined the A.D. 61 rebellion and after Boudicca’s defeat we know the Romans punished everyone involved,” said Andy Greef of Oxford Archaeology East. People did return to the site, however, to leave votive offerings possibly linked to the cult of the Roman god Mercury into the fourth century A.D. and the end of Roman rule, he added. “It could be there was a shrine on the site that continued to attract people and, as it’s very close to the Roman road Stane Street, it was easy to access,” he explained. A copper alloy figurine depicting a young rooster is thought to have been such an offering. Pottery, coins, a tankard handle, more than 100 brooches, Iron Age coins, Roman coins, hairpins, beads, and rings were also recovered. For more, go to "In Search of History's Greatest Rulers: Boudicca, Queen of the Iceni."