成人快手

The Romans in Exeter must have been prolific tile makers.

Some 1.5 tonnes of tile fragments dating back to the days when the Romans ruled the roost in Exeter have been unearthed in a dig by archaeologists as part of the redevelopment of Princesshay.

The Romans rolled up in their carriages in the first century AD, and named the city Isca, meaning water.

They were very, very, clever people. They dug the local clay to make tiles for their underfloor heating systems.

Almost 2,000 years later, some of the tiles have been recovered by archaeologists, who surveyed the Princesshay site after the old shops were demolished.

The dig site (Photos: Exeter Archaeology)

The team went in before the contractors built the new 拢230m Princesshay shopping centre, which was opened in September 2007.

As well as Roman artefacts, historic items from the Saxon and Medieval eras were also dug up. Other finds date back to the 17th and 18th centuries, making this excavation important for local historians trying to get a better insight into what life used to be like in Exeter.

The dig was carried out by the archaeological team at Exeter City Council, led by project manager Peter Weddell.

He said that trial excavations carried out in advance suggested the site would throw up some interesting finds, but everyone was excited by the number of items unearthed.

"It is the volume of the finds which is important," he said. "The bigger the sample you have, the more information it gives you.

"There were also some unusual and interesting finds, and they were from a range of eras, so we have found out more new information about periods in the city's history. It has certainly added to our knowledge of the city.

"One of the most interesting things we have learned from the Roman period is just how much tile making they did. They were digging clay out to make tiles for their underfloor heating."

One of the early Roman pots

The Roman artefacts date from the start of their era in Exeter, the first century AD, to the end of their time in Exeter, the fourth century.

The excavators struck lucky when a team of ground workers for the contractors accidentally stumbled on what turned out to be an early 15th century well.

Peter said: "When we fully excavated that, we found over 3,000 pieces of pottery. We can reconstruct 55 jugs from a period of time where finds are not common.

"What makes this particular collection nationally important is the rarity of finds from the early 15th century."

In all, almost 20,000 pieces of pottery were found from a range of periods.

Among the 144 coins which were discovered is a silver coin which was actually minted in Exeter during the reign of King John, from 1199-1216. This is the first time a locally minted coin has been found in an excavation in the city.

The artefacts are to go on display at the Royal Albert Memorial Museum in Exeter when it re-opens in 2010 following a 拢15m modernisation programme.

In the meantime, some of the finds have gone back underground. They are on show in the new heritage centre in the 14th century underground passages in Paris Street.