David Roberts

@davidrobertsarch.bsky.social

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Archaeologist at Cardiff University, directs Teffont Archaeology. Views my own not my institution's.

Densely packed distribution map of Roman sites, Roman PAS finds and landscape types in central Somerset / westernmost Wiltshire / north-westernmost Dorset. Low Ham is approximately central, amidst a dense cluster of villas and other sites, on an island of higher ground projecting between possibly drained, and possibly undrained, wetlands.
Complicated colour coded phase plan of the main buildings of Low Ham Roman villa, showing gradual expansion from several small buildings in Phase 1, through to a very large and complex courtyard villa in Phase 3.
Pages from Chapter 6, showing an image of a large trench being opened by heavy plant under archaeological supervision, and an excavation plan of the same trench, drawn by John Vallender. The plan shows parts of four roundhouse ring gullies, two of which are cut through by a very large early Roman ditch, which also has a narrow V-shaped ditch to the exterior.
Illustrated small finds from the 2018 excavations. Copper-alloy bracelet fragments SF 31110 and SF 31112; copper-alloy penannular brooch SF 31111; copper alloy tack SF 32007; iron stylus SF 30110. Drawing by Judith Dobie, Historic England.
Image of a page from Chapter 3 of the Low Ham monograph, illustrating an interpretive plan by Radford, director of the original excavations, and in a lower image, Leech's detective work working out where the sections Radford drew are located on part of the plan of the villa.
A photograph of Mosaic II, 207.1, from Low Ham, showing aspects of the story of Dido and Aeneas in pictoral form. Each scene is within a box formed by a twisting guilloche pattern. The left hand side shows a hunt, the right Aeneas' ships at sea, the lowest panel Dido and Aeneas embracing, the uppermost in the image Dido and Aeneas' first encounter, the central panel Venus nude with attendant cupids; a cloth or perhaps a towel is behind her, possibly in allusion to the placement of this mosaic in front of a plunge bath. Venus, in Steve Cosh's words, presides over events around her.
The purple cover of a large book entitled 'The Romano-British villa and prehistoric settlement at Low Ham, Somerset'. A blurb explaining the contents is on the back, along with sponsors logos. A reconstruction of the villa is the cover image. This image and all others from the book.
Volunteers with replica skeletons laid out on tables listening to Dr Davies Barrett during a practical exercise.
Animal bones in a Finds tray, laptop with animal bone recording guidance, on a table covered in trays of animal bones and paper resources. Photo courtesy CAER heritage
Volunteers look at Toman pottery and reference books, and talk to each other, in a seminar room with pottery laid out across tables.
Volunteers training on Roman glass in a large lecture and workshop space
Volunteers working at tables on stratigraphic recording practice.
Jute bag containing conservation first aid for finds kit, a short guide to on site conservation and other goodies.
Dining room mosaic at Chedworth Roman villa.
Images of a series of iron roman tools with the caption: " Figure 4.11. Boring tools from Roman London (aren't they all?)"
Roman chisel marks on a squared off cuboid block of chalk about the size of a human hand.
Three archaeologists looking carefully at a hypocaust. Another archaeologist is digging in the foreground.
Entitled cat sitting on exhibition panels.
Salisbury cathedral
Copyright Teffont Archaeology. Image shows a monochrome mosaic with a latch key meander pattern and fragments of a guilloche pattern, within a border of plain cream tesserae, within a corridor of a Roman villa.
Two computer monitors showing different photos of the same archaeological section through complex layers of rubble and clay infill in a deep cut feature.