Latest news with #AndrewHenderson-Schwartz
Yahoo
24-02-2025
- Yahoo
Ancient Roman Landmark Found Under London Office Building
London's origins as a city date back to the days of the Roman Empire, after the invaders arrived to Great Britain and established the town of Londinium. Nearly two millennia later, remnants of the Romans' presence are still being found in the U.K. capital. Developers were preparing to demolish an office building from the 1930s in the heart of London when archaeologists at the site unearthed parts of the city's first Roman basilica in the basement of the building. It was built around 80 C.E., nearly four decades after the Romans invaded Great Britain, and functioned as a forum and town hall for the ancient city of Londinium where officials often made major political, judicial, and commercial decisions. "There could be political discussions happening. It could have been business transactions and big business deals," Andrew Henderson-Schwartz, communications head for Museum of London Archaeology, which led the excavation, told NBC News. "Essentially, it's like shooting forward 2,000 years in time and finding the speaker chair to the House of Commons."The discovery was made near London Bridge and the Tower of London, placing the ancient multipurpose government building smack dab in the middle of Londinium. "It really is the heart of Roman London, where the big decisions that were made impacted the rest of London and also the wider Roman world in Britain," Henderson-Schwartz said. "We knew that this was potentially the site of the first Roman basilica, but what we didn't know was how well these remains had survived."Luckily, if you're interested in experiencing the ancient building for yourself, you don't have to wait until the pieces are installed behind glass in a museum. The MOLA team is now working with architectural firm Woods Bagot to fully excavate the Roman treasured and incorporate them into new office building plans. "It's part of a new plan to celebrate these amazing discoveries and put them on public display," Historic England archaeology adviser Helen Hawkins said. Henderson-Schwartz added that guests will be able to travel back in time themselves in the future. "They will really experience what it was like to stand on the stage of Roman London,' he the meantime, you can check out the British Museum for extensive collections pertaining to Roman London.
Euronews
14-02-2025
- Business
- Euronews
Archaeologists uncover extraordinary 2,000-year-old Roman basilica beneath London office
Archaeologists have made an extraordinary discovery under an office block in London: the remains of the city's first Roman basilica. It's been described as one of the most significant archaeological finds in the capital in recent years. Dating back nearly 2,000 years to the late 70s or early 80s AD, the basilica was part of the Roman forum - Londinium's administrative and social hub. "The significance of this site is that the Roman basilica really was the commercial, social, and economic hub of London," explains Andrew Henderson-Schwartz, the head of public impact at MOLA (Museum of London Archaeology), in a chat with Euronews Culture. "It's where you would go to do big business decisions and big business deals. It's where you would go to have disputes resolved by a magistrate. It's where you'd go to have discussions about the kind of decisions that could affect the changes that were happening to both Roman London and and wider Roman Britain." What's been uncovered so far are the remarkably intact foundations of a two-storey building, nearly the size of an Olympic swimming pool. Constructed between 78 and 84 A.D., the structure was erected just a few decades after Roman troops first invaded Britain and about 20 years after the destruction of Londinium by the forces of the Celtic warrior queen Boudicca. As well as the walls, excavations have also revealed several artefacts, including a roof tile stamped with the mark of an official from the ancient city. The developer, Hertshten Properties, which owns the site and holds planning permission for a new office tower, has committed to incorporating the ancient remains into the building's design and showcasing them in a public visitor centre. The display is expected to feature a glass floor, allowing visitors to view the basilica's walls below, and will also include space for food stalls and markets. "I think it's important to preserve the past. Obviously, London is a rapidly developing city, and it's great that we're growing so quickly with so much development happening. But having these tangible links to the past helps us remember where we came from and gives us a sense of connection to those who came before us," says Henderson-Schwartz. With further excavations on the horizon, the archaeological team hopes to answer several questions, such as why the original forum was only used for 20 years before being replaced by a much larger one, which continued to serve the city until the collapse of Roman rule three centuries later.
Yahoo
14-02-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Archaeologists discover London's first Roman basilica under office building
An office building from the 1930s in the heart of London was about to be demolished and redeveloped by its owners — until archaeologists unearthed remnants of the city's first Roman basilica in the basement. Built around 80 AD, a few decades after the Romans invaded Britain, the ancient basilica was part of a wider forum and served as a town hall for Londinium, the city's ancient Roman name. There, magistrates and officials presided over major political, judicial, and commercial decisions, according to Andrew Henderson-Schwartz from the Museum of London Archaeology (MOLA), which led the excavation. 'There could be political discussions happening. It could have been business transactions and big business deals,' Henderson-Schwartz told NBC News. 'Essentially, it's like shooting forward 2,000 years in time and finding the speaker chair to the House of Commons,' he said. The discovery, which was made at 85 Gracechurch Street next to Leadenhall Market, is one of the most substantial pieces of Roman architecture in Britain. 'It really is the heart of Roman London, where the big decisions that were made impacted the rest of London and also the wider Roman world in Britain,' Henderson-Schwartz added. Hannah Platts, a lecturer in ancient history and material culture at the University of London, said that the basilica's discovery was 'hugely significant' because it also revealed how the province of Britannia was integrated into the broader Roman Empire. 'What the discovery demonstrates is that the Romans were quick to instill in Britannia similar methods of governing that they used elsewhere in the Roman world,' she said. Archeologists and historians had long suspected the approximate location of the 2,000-year-old building through earlier investigations. But the full extent of what was hidden beneath the concrete floor was only uncovered when the building's owners, Hertshten Properties, approached MOLA to launch a new investigation. 'We knew that this was potentially the site of the first Roman Basilica, but what we didn't know was how well these remains had survived,' said Henderson-Schwartz. From there, the team undertook several small test pits, or open areas of excavation, to see what was hidden beneath the concrete floor. What they found were large sections of the Roman basilica still intact — walls 32 feet long and 13 feet deep made of flint and limestone transported from Kent. Among other artifacts, archaeologists uncovered bits of Roman pottery, brick, and tiles, including one roof tile with the name 'London' stamped into it and fingerprints of the Roman tile maker. 'You can literally put your fingers in their finger marks on the tile, so it's really a tangible connection to the early origins of the city,' Henderson-Schwartz added. The team will now work with the architectural firm Wood Bagot to fully excavate the Roman remains and incorporate them into the new office building plans before being opened to the public. Helen Hawkins, an archaeology adviser at Historic England, which set the planning conditions for the new development, said the site would 'make a really great exhibition' as part of an initiative by the City of London Corporation. 'It's part of a new plan to celebrate these amazing discoveries and put them on public display,' she said. Once opened, visitors can expect to have an immersive experience from the basement of the building. 'They will really experience what it was like to stand on the stage of Roman London,' Henderson-Schwartz added. This article was originally published on
Euronews
14-02-2025
- Business
- Euronews
Archaeologists uncover extraodinary 2,000-year-old Roman basilica beneath London office
Archaeologists have made an extraordinary discovery under an office block in London: the remains of the city's first Roman basilica. It's been described as one of the most significant archaeological finds in the capital in recent years. Dating back nearly 2,000 years to the late 70s or early 80s AD, the basilica was part of the Roman forum - Londinium's administrative and social hub. "The significance of this site is that the Roman basilica really was the commercial, social, and economic hub of London," explains Andrew Henderson-Schwartz, the head of public impact at MOLA (Museum of London Archaeology), in a chat with Euronews Culture. "It's where you would go to do big business decisions and big business deals. It's where you would go to have disputes resolved by a magistrate. It's where you'd go to have discussions about the kind of decisions that could affect the changes that were happening to both Roman London and and wider Roman Britain." What's been uncovered so far are the remarkably intact foundations of a two-storey building, nearly the size of an Olympic swimming pool. Constructed between 78 and 84 A.D., the structure was erected just a few decades after Roman troops first invaded Britain and about 20 years after the destruction of Londinium by the forces of the Celtic warrior queen Boudicca. As well as the walls, excavations have also revealed several artefacts, including a roof tile stamped with the mark of an official from the ancient city. The developer, Hertshten Properties, which owns the site and holds planning permission for a new office tower, has committed to incorporating the ancient remains into the building's design and showcasing them in a public visitor centre. The display is expected to feature a glass floor, allowing visitors to view the basilica's walls below, and will also include space for food stalls and markets. "I think it's important to preserve the past. Obviously, London is a rapidly developing city, and it's great that we're growing so quickly with so much development happening. But having these tangible links to the past helps us remember where we came from and gives us a sense of connection to those who came before us," says Henderson-Schwartz. With further excavations on the horizon, the archaeological team hopes to answer several questions, such as why the original forum was only used for 20 years before being replaced by a much larger one, which continued to serve the city until the collapse of Roman rule three centuries later.
