Folktale becomes reality as Roman altar unearthed at Leicester Cathedral | Archaeology
theguardian.comSubmitted by egg_static5 t3_11lo579 in history
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[deleted] t1_jbdpnrl wrote
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[deleted] t1_jbdwk4o wrote
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jon_stout t1_jbemy70 wrote
Huh. Leicester archaeology has really been hitting it out of the park this last decade. First Richard III's body, and now this.
Reddit-runner t1_jbeqlwv wrote
Relevant part from the article:
>The Normans began construction more than 900 years ago on the building that would become Leicester Cathedral, but legend has long had it that the site has been one of worship as far back as the Roman occupation of Britain. Now, an archaeological discovery has experts suggesting the legend may well be true.
>Excavations have uncovered what is believed to be an altar stone, found within the cellar of a Roman building they say is probably the remains of a private shrine or cult room. Mathew Morris, who led the dig, said the discovery of the Roman altar – the first to be found in Leicester – was “amazing”. He added: “For centuries, there has been a tradition that a Roman temple once stood on the site of the present cathedral. This folktale gained wide acceptance in the late 19th century when a Roman building was discovered during the rebuilding of the church
That churches were build in or on top of roman temples is not exactly braking news...
However this seems to be a church build on top of a roman house, containing a room dedicated to worship. Interesting.
[deleted] t1_jbexyfn wrote
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[deleted] t1_jbeye9h wrote
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DaveyBoyXXZ t1_jbf3hxl wrote
The fun part is that this discovery is directly related to that one. They discovered this while constructing a visitor's centre about Richard III!
[deleted] t1_jbf4yhz wrote
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[deleted] t1_jbf8k62 wrote
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Kipguy t1_jbfitfd wrote
The Guardian? That the only source because they tend to get things wrong continually.
zoinkability t1_jbg3mjv wrote
Excited to see what they dig up when building the visitors’s centre for the Roman altar! Hopefully a celtic ruin of some kind. Below that something neolithic.
windsorHaze t1_jbgbjcj wrote
And just three days to do it!
[deleted] t1_jbgdf27 wrote
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KeeperofAmmut7 t1_jbgv254 wrote
I'm hoping for a Mithraeum.
Desuexss t1_jbgvq3b wrote
Never forget the pope abdicated when they found his body.
Iirc a pope abdicated when he died too
HalfLeper t1_jbgz78f wrote
They keep saying it’s a private shrine; does that mean a private area within a larger temple? Because one would be hard-pressed to can a small, private shrine a “Roman Temple.” 👀
[deleted] t1_jbhae8d wrote
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Bognis t1_jbjcgr7 wrote
No more than any other. Better than most.
[deleted] t1_jbld3le wrote
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pordq t1_jbn7b77 wrote
Just read it? They directly quote the archaeologist in charge.
Julia_G_Martins t1_jbnmn76 wrote
In this case it seems correct.
egg_static5 OP t1_jbdefth wrote
Excavations have uncovered what is believed to be an altar stone, found within the cellar of a Roman building they say is probably the remains of a private shrine or cult room.