Time Team Day 24 - Death in the Crescent

Thirty-One Days of the Time Team continues but it is winding down for the end of the month!  This time the Time Team will be looking for Roman sarcophagi
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Today, Time Team is excavating Roman Bath and this is a rare opportunity for the Time Team.  There are strange scorch marks on the ground as well as evidence of a Roman sarcophagus.  The Romans were attracted to the springs and built a city.  Bath is one of the best-documented cities.  The Royal Bath archeological society invited Time Team to dig on the site.  What will the Time Team discover about Roman Bath?

Over one hundred years ago a church was built in Bath.  While building the church, there were hints of a Roman sarcophagus in the ground.  The church was destroyed during World War II and the site remained untouched since.  Geophysics shows the remains of the church as well as remains of something else in the ground.  The Time Team will not dig in the church as it is likely any remains were destroyed when the church was built.

Then Time Team heads onto the Royal Crescent to look at the scorch marks on the ground.  John Gater does not believe that the scorch marks are the building.  Trench one goes in carefully.  Trench two goes in on the church site and hit the remains of the church.

Tony heads on over to the baths to learn more about the baths.  Why were the Romans attached to the hot springs?  Did they discover some spiritual significance in the springs?  When they built the baths any record of older people would have been wiped out.

Back in trench two, Phil is still digging in the church site.  However, the Victorian Church is proving to be trouble.  Tony despairs of finding the Roman sarcophagus in three days.  Back in trench one, the Time Team is not discovering any record of inhabitation.  The lack of evidence is rather frustrating.  In the past little votive offerings were found on the site.  Time Team’s Roman expert challenges the votive offering evidence.  He believes that they are digging on an industrial site.

Phil continues to work on trench two, he concludes that the church wall was extended covering any archeology beneath.  So the trench will have to be extended.  Back in Trench one, it is concluded that the scorch marks are naturally occurring.  Tony brings Stewart an aerial photo of the Royal Crescent and it shows a road going through the center of the Crescent.  There were pieces of Roman Road found in Bath.  So was this road part of the Roman Road?  The Time Team will geophysics the site.

Back in trench two, Phil’s hard work is paying off and he discovers a Roman coin.  This revives Tony’s hope that something will be found on the church site.  In Trench One, the Time Team are discovering evidence of the Iron Age settlement.  Tony despairs about the finds, but Mick is hopeful that the Time Team will find evidence of Roman Bath.

Day two continues but it is rainy.  Everyone is soaked but the work continues.  Phil continues his work on trench two.  Trench three goes in to discover the remains of a Roman Road.  Stewart is hopeful a road is there and catches up with Mick with the evidence.  Will the Time Team find the sarcophagus?  Will a Roman Road be found on the site?  Tune into this episode of Time Team to find out!

This is would be a good episode to show in a history class as well as an English class to learn more about Bath.