Ancient Roman altarpiece found in a pit in England

A new and unexpected discovery it took place on the stretch of the A428, a road close to the Black Cat intersection in the United Kingdom, which for years has been the setting for a series of excavations which over time are bringing to light numerous finds from the Roman era. In this case, again thanks to the infrastructural project for the restoration of the stretch of road, the archaeologists of MOLA – Museum of London Archeology noticed an object with a very particular shape in a pit: it is a batillumor an ancient shovel.

The ancient batillum found by chance

“Take a look at this stunning Roman shovel, it looks just like the ones we use every day on the A428 – BlackCat,” so the Museum of London Archaeology made his debut on Facebook, announcing the new discovery thanks to the help of the archaeologist Solomon, part of the team of specialists hired as part of the National Highways improvement project between the Black Cat and Caxton Gibbet.

Then a first explanation relating to the particular object found, of which an in-depth analysis has not yet been carried out: “This is a ‘batillum’, which had many different uses, including as a fire shovel. It was found in a pit within a large rectangular Roman enclosure. We can say that there was lots of activity in this area, as it is full of pits, post-holes, gullies and a watering hole. There is also coal in the ground, perhaps moved using this very shovel!”.

A “simple” shovel or shovel, therefore, at least in appearance. In reality it is an ancient testimony of the presence and construction of an object that became commonly used in future societies, including ours: “a large iron shovel with wooden handlegenerally used in agricultural and earthworks to remove earth or other material already moved by other tools” (Treccani).

The other discoveries on the Black Cat-Caxton Gibbet

It is not the first time that discoveries of this type have occurred on the Black Cat-Caxton Gibbet. The Archaeological Museum of London (MOLA, abbreviated) has been collaborating for just under two years on the excavations begun as part of the National Highways projectwhich aims to restore and improve the UK’s motorway links.

Just go back to last February when the archeologists have found the remains of a jaw belonging to a very small animal which – subsequent studies and analyzes would have confirmed – is presumed to be an example of Apodemus sylvaticus L., a rodent mammal of the Muridae family. The small piece of jaw is not the only recent discovery in that excavation area: “Recently we were lucky enough to find the burnt remains of an apple in one of our samples! A closer look by one of our specialists revealed that it was a wild apple – we read in an article published by MOLA -. These small, tart apples were tastier when cooked, although perhaps not as well cooked as this one… They were the only type of apple available in Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire inIron Age before the Romans introduced the larger, sweeter apples we enjoy today!”

Archaeologists have also discovered evidence of human settlements since the Neolithic (c. 4,000 – 2,200 BC), with much evidence of life during the Iron Age (800 BC – 43 AD) through to the Roman period (43 – 410 AD).