Ancient barn conversion with steam room found at Roman villa in Rutland

Fresh evidence of owners’ lavish lifestyle discovered at same site as rare Iliad mosaic

If you thought barn conversions were a relatively recent development for the property-owning classes, you’d be wrong – probably by 16 or 17 centuries.

Archaeologists at the site of a Roman villa complex in the east Midlands have discovered that its wealthy owners converted an agricultural timber barn into a dwelling featuring a bathing suite with a hot steam room, a warm room and a cold plunge pool.

Fresh evidence of the villa owners’ lavish lifestyle comes two years after a family found fragments of ancient pottery on a ramble through farmland in Rutland. Archaeologists from the University of Leicester, in partnership with Historic England and Rutland county council, later unearthed a rare mosaic depicting Homer’s Iliad.

The finding – now protected by the government – was described as “the most exciting Roman mosaic discovery in the UK in the last century”.

Work at the villa site.
Work at the villa site. Photograph: handout

Now the same team has unveiled further discoveries at the site, including the conversion of a barn the size of a small church.

The barn was supported by large timber posts and may have had two storeys. It was converted to stone in the third or fourth century, with one end becoming a dwelling with many floors, and the other retained for agricultural or craft work.

The main feature of the dwelling was a Roman-style bath suite with sophisticated underfloor heating and heating ducts built into the walls. A tank outside the building may have been used to collect water from the roof.

The team also revisited the area of the mosaic which was thought to be laid in a dining room, known as a triclinium, within the main villa building. They discovered fragments of polished marble, broken stone columns and painted wall plaster that hint at grand decoration.

The dining room had been built as an extension to the main villa, suggesting that the owners wanted a special area for feasting as they gazed over the Iliad mosaic.

A newly found mosaic at the site.
A newly found mosaic at the site. Photograph: handout

The new excavations also revealed additional mosaics in the corridors leading to the dining room, including one with a kaleidoscopic geometric design.

John Thomas, the deputy director of the University of Leicester archaeological service, said: “It’s difficult to overstate the significance of this Roman villa complex to our understanding of life in late Roman Britain. While previous excavations of individual buildings, or smaller-scale villas, have given us a snapshot, this discovery in Rutland is much more complete and provides a clearer picture of the whole complex.

“The aim of this year’s work has been to investigate other buildings within the overall villa complex to provide context to the Trojan war mosaic. While that is a wonderful, eye-catching discovery, we will be able to learn much more about why it was here, and who might have commissioned it, by learning about the villa as a whole.”

Duncan Wilson, Historic England’s chief executive, said the site had “posed many questions about life in Roman Britain”. Its significance would become clearer as the evidence was examined over the next few years by specialists, he added.

Contributor

Harriet Sherwood

The GuardianTramp

Related Content

Article image
‘Oh wow’: remarkable Roman mosaic found in Rutland field
Family ramble led to ‘most exciting Roman mosaic discovery in the UK in the last century’

Nadia Khomami Arts and culture correspondent

25, Nov, 2021 @9:58 AM

Article image
Foundations of three Roman houses found under Chichester park
Large properties just inside city walls, identified using radar, would have been equivalent to homes worth millions today

Maev Kennedy

26, Jan, 2017 @12:01 AM

Article image
Roman coin hoard, one of the largest found in UK, unearthed by builder
Laurence Egerton found haul of 22,000 fourth-century coins in Devon last November and slept in his car for three nights to guard it

Press Association

26, Sep, 2014 @4:28 PM

Article image
Barn conversion leads to amazing find of palatial Roman villa
‘Incredible’ archaeological site was unearthed when electricians laying cables at a Wiltshire home exposed a mosaic

Robin McKie

16, Apr, 2016 @11:04 PM

Article image
Cache of Roman letters discovered at Hadrian's Wall
Archaeologists excited about 25 tablets found at Vindolanda fort, site of 1992 discovery of hundreds of Roman documents

Maev Kennedy

10, Jul, 2017 @11:57 AM

Article image
Amateur archaeologists redraw map of Roman Britain – from home
Volunteers find ‘astounding’ number of unknown sites in south-west from aerial surveys

Steven Morris

12, May, 2020 @11:01 PM

Article image
‘Rare find’: amphitheatre dig in Kent paints picture of Roman town
Finds at Richborough include skeleton of cat nicknamed Maxipus and potential evidence of figurative arena panels

Harriet Sherwood Arts and culture correspondent

28, Oct, 2021 @5:01 AM

Article image
Stunning dark ages mosaic found at Roman villa in Cotswolds
Fifth-century discovery suggests break with Rome did not cause steep decline in living standards for all

Steven Morris

10, Dec, 2020 @12:01 AM

Article image
British Museum says metal detectorists found 1,311 treasures last year
‘Rare’ 1,100-year-old brooch from Norfolk among treasures found

Mark Brown, Arts correspondent

17, Mar, 2020 @11:37 AM

Article image
Cremated human bones in pot found in Crossrail dig suggest gruesome ritual
Discovery deepens mystery of scores of Roman skulls found near site close to Liverpool St station and may confirm theory they are from Boudicca’s rebellion

Maev Kennedy

26, Apr, 2015 @2:55 PM