Great Drain at Aqua Sulis to be investigated

[Melvadius]

Times online report what could potentially be quite an important undertaking - a survey of the Roman drain at Bath (Aqua Sulis). It is obviously early days yet and nothing has so far been found so although not strictly 'news' this is probably one to keep an eye on for future reports:

 

 

Under the title:

 

'Quest to find out what the Romans dropped down the drain' the Times report:

 

Britain

[Klingan]

Ah, finally some real archaeology. Sewer news are so rare today! I really wish that I would be able to take a look at that place.

[Melvadius]

Ah, finally some real archaeology. Sewer news are so rare today! I really wish that I would be able to take a look at that place.

 

I didn't post this before as it isn't Roman realted but if you are interested in general 'sewer' archaeology there has recently been further investigations of the medieval drain at Paisley Abbey as a follow up on 1991 excavations which found extensive vegetable matter throughout the drain and a slate containing someof the earliest musical notation found in Scotland. Some background on the recent excavations can be found at:

 

http://heritage-key.com/blogs/malcolmj/arc...goes-down-drain

 

The Herald article at:

 

http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/home-ne...ldmine-1.919426

 

The dig blog is at :

 

http://www.paisley.org.uk/active/index.php...=8&id=39523

 

Publications related to the earlier dig include:

 

Food, medicinal and other plants from the 15th century drains of Paisley Abbey, Scotland by Camilla Dickson

 

Check out pages 2 for a short article relating to a 1999 conference about the original discoveries but especially page 4 of this short article which specifically mention the musical notation found along with plugging the conference book (which I think has several papers worth reading including ones on the vegetable remains by both Camilla and Peter Dickson):

 

http://www.maybole.org/community/organisat...%20Feb%2009.pdf

 

Details at:

 

http://www.springerlink.com/content/j7v71l3510560888/

Edited November 16, 2009 by Melvadius

[Klingan]

Thank you! It's very much appreciated - I wrote my masters on roman sewage systems.

[sylla]

I wrote my masters on roman sewage systems.

So did Mr. JNN Hopkins.

[Klingan]

I wrote my masters on roman sewage systems.

So did Mr. JNN Hopkins.

 

Yeah I met him in Rome last spring. Seems like it isn't his primary interest though.

[Ludovicus]

Trash heaps, garbage dumps, latrines, sewers, and privy pits. What would we do without these sources of archaeology? It's not the broken columns, the semi-complete pediments or the marble busts, but the lowest of the low that enrich history.

[sylla]

Trash heaps, garbage dumps, latrines, sewers, and privy pits. What would we do without these sources of archaeology? It's not the broken columns, the semi-complete pediments or the marble busts, but the lowest of the low that enrich history.

Eschatological as it sounds, for any body the anus is as indispensable as the heart or the brain...