See pictures from the dig which revealed skeletons and a Roman settlement in Devon

This article originally appeared on Culture24.

Pictures from the Ipplepen dig in Devon, where Roman skeletons and pottery have been discovered

In 2014, experts working on a major field study at Ipplepen, in Devon, excavated a Roman road with ancient wheel ruts and potholes.

The site produced a set of 15 Roman and Dark Age skeletons at a roadside burial ground which archaeologists called “the best-preserved Roman cemetery ever discovered in Devon”.

Their latest discovery, along with a wide range of pottery, is a continental food storage jug that would have travelled across Europe before it was used at the site.

The amphora was buried under the surface of the Roman road. The jar was made on the continent and originally contained food such as olive oil or wine.

“It’s amazing to think the amphora has travelled hundreds of miles across land and sea to end up under our Roman road at Ipplepen,” says Danielle Wootton, the Devon Finds Liaison Officer for the Portable Antiquities Scheme.

“The amphora had lots of 2,000 year old fractures, so we had to lift it very carefully. As you can imagine, it was a relief when we got it out in one piece.

“We knew we had a Roman road but previously had no signs of Romano-British occupation to go along with it, which was puzzling.

“So we’ve been searching for evidence of a settlement in our new trenches, looking for archaeological features – and we are finally seeing evidence for this, which is brilliant news.”

What do you think? Leave a comment below.

Three museums to see Roman finds in:

Senhouse Roman Museum, Maryport
Dramatically sited on cliffs overlooking Maryport harbour and the Scottish coast, this award-winning Museum is next to the site of the Roman fort built at the centre of Hadrian's coastal defences on the Solway.

Chedworth Roman Villa, Yanworth
This site was discovered in 1864 by a local gamekeeper and subsequently excavated. More than a mile of walls survive along with beautiful mosaics, two bathhouses, hypocausts, a water shrine and latrine.

National Roman Legion Museum, Caerleon
In AD 75, a fortress was founded at Caerleon which would guard the region for more than 200 years. Today, the museum shows how the Romans lived, slept and ate, not to mention how they marched and practised for battle, which gods they worshipped and which jewels they wore and valued.

Source: http://www.culture24.org.uk/history-and-heritage/archaeology/art533186-pictures-dig-revealed-skeletons-roman-settlement-devon