Romans in Sussex - Archaeology in Sussex - A history of Romano-British archaeology in Sussex

Archaeology in Sussex

A history of Romano-British archaeology in Sussex

Sussex's Romano-British heritage has attracted attention from archaeologists and antiquarians for many centuries. This was especially so in the 19th and early 20th centuries, when the Roman empire was felt in many ways to have been a precursor to Britain's own empire. It was at this time that a number of Roman villas in the county were dug, including that at Bignor pictured here in a 19th century painting. The mid 19th century also saw the founding of the Sussex Archaeological Society, whose annual collections allowed for the publication of many archaeological sites and finds.

During the first half of the 20th century - especially the inter-war years - there was a dramatic increase in the number of sites excavated, in addition to vastly improved techniques and recording methods. A number of influential archaeologists, including Eliot and Eliot Cecil Curwen and S.E. Winbolt, left an important legacy for the discipline in Sussex. During this time, it was not just the large impressive villas that were excavated, but a whole range of Romano-British and prehistoric settlement sites.

In the early post-war years, excavations continued at sites such as the Iron Age settlement and Romano-British shrine at Muntham Court, pictured in the photograph. This was still a time when nearly all of the work was carried out by volunteers, and nowhere is this better illustrated than by the excavations at Fishbourne Roman Palace. The site was rediscovered in 1960 and within the course of a decade, around 900 unpaid amateur diggers - under the direction of Barry Cunliffe - meticulously excavated large parts of the site. The personal generosity of Sussex archaeologist Ivan Margary also enabled a cover building to be erected over the north wing, and a museum to be established on the site.

At the same time as the Fishbourne excavations, the archaeologist Alec Down had been directing a continuous programme of rescue excavation within and around Chichester, and it is through his work that most of our knowledge on the Roman town is derived. As with Fishbourne, this work was carried out on a voluntary basis, until the increasing 'professionalization' of the discipline in the 1970s led him to become the Director of Excavations to the Chichester Excavation Committee.