Archaeologists have unearthed the foundations of London’s first public building.
Excavating under the basement of a commercial building in the city’s financial district, they encountered what they believe are the roughly 2,000-year-old remains of a basilica from Roman London.
The basilica was part of London’s Roman forum, or public square, and was “effectively the first town hall,” said Sophie Jackson, a director at the Museum of London Archaeology.
The archaeologists first found the remnants over the summer and completed their investigation a few weeks ago, Ms. Jackson said. They began work after planning permission was granted to demolish a commercial building at the site and replace it with a 32-story mixed-use office tower.
They unearthed “massive foundations and walls made of flint, ragstone and Roman tile,” the museum said in a statement announcing the discovery on Thursday. In some areas, these remnants were more than 33 feet long, three feet wide and 13 feet deep, the statement said.
Their size and scope indicates that the basilica, which must have been the city’s biggest structure at the time, was three stories high and built atop a hill, Ms. Jackson said in a phone interview on Thursday. She added that it was probably a place where administrative matters were resolved and money may have been stored.
Archaeologists also believe that the site that was excavated was a designated area inside the basilica called a tribunal, where magistrates sat on a raised platform and made judgments on court cases and important decisions about the government, Ms. Jackson said.
Article by:Source:
