Supra Lemanis 2

The following year the investigation moved across the road to the southern field, overlooking Romney Marsh and the Channel. This area had also shown interesting features on the geophysics possibly related to Roman occupation.

Several trenches were opened and numerous finds were made. The most significant discoveries were of the buried lower courses of a Roman wall, with facing stones intact. On the interior of the wall there were many discoveries in what appears to have been a midden (a rubbish tip) containing pottery, metal and bone remains.

In another trench, a tile with the CLBR stamp of the Roman British Channel navy was excavated from a post hole – an indication that the structure was built and used by the Roman military, re-using fabric from earlier buildings. The dig added to the knowledge of the previous year’s dig to suggest a substantial Roman military and civilian settlement situated strategically to control the seaway and the road to Canterbury. As well as the Roman finds there was also a large quantity of pre-Roman pottery.