January 4, 2005
Roman chariot racing in Colchester
ARCHAEOLOGISTS believe that they may have unearthed the world’s biggest Roman chariot-racing track outside Italy.Full story here.Excavations of part of the garrison in Colchester, Essex, Britain’s oldest recorded town, have revealed traces of a track that are being examined by English Heritage. The garrison is the home of the 16 Air Assault Brigade and is the longest-established garrison in the country. . .
Up to 2,500 homes are being built on the 209-acre redevelopment site. Colchester, which was first mentioned by Pliny the Elder in AD77, was sacked by Boadicea and her Celtic army . . .
Philip Wise, of Colchester Museums Service, said that if the find was verified, it could stop the housing development plans.
Posted by David on January 4, 2005 7:39 PM
Also, I believe, one of the horses of the winning team was sacrificed to the gods.
I really do wish those pre-Christian folk had more sensible names. Sir Heterozygous and Madame Phrynogostomy are just impossible to remember or to spell! I'm currentlyl reading Fortune's Favorites by Colleen McCullough (having polished off First Man in Rome and The Grass Crown) and Roman names and Latin expressions are running amok in my brain.
Posted by: Sarah on January 6, 2005 10:46 AM
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