Piddington Roman Villa facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Piddington Roman villa |
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Piddington Roman villa, Northamptonshire
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| General information | |
| Type | Roman villa |
| Location | Hackleton, Northamptonshire |
| Coordinates | 52°11′02″N 0°49′26″W / 52.184°N 0.824°W |
| Map Ref: SP802545 | |
Piddington Roman Villa is an amazing ancient site in Northamptonshire, England. It's what's left of a huge Roman villa (a large country house). You can find it about 10 kilometers (6 miles) southeast of Northampton. This villa was once a very important place during Roman times!
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Discovering Piddington Roman Villa
The Piddington Roman Villa sits on the site of an even older settlement from the late Iron Age. Today, the museum is inside an old chapel built in 1851. You can find it in Chapel End, on the northeast side of Piddington village.
If you want to visit, you can park at the village hall in Hackleton. From there, follow the footpath to Piddington for about 750 yards. The museum is usually open on Sunday afternoons from 2 to 5 PM.
A Journey Through Time at Piddington
Archaeologists have been digging at Piddington since 1979. Their work shows that people have lived in this area for about 10,000 years!
Life in the Iron Age
Long, long ago, during the Neolithic (around 3500–1500 BC) and Bronze Age (around 1500–600 BC), people lived here. They left behind flint tools and arrowheads that they used for hunting. We don't have any houses from that time, though.
Later, around the middle of the 1st century BC, a late Iron Age village started. People lived in round houses inside a protected area with a ditch. They were very good at making pottery and bronze objects. They even traded with people in Europe!
The Roman Era
After the Romans invaded Britain in 43 AD, Roman soldiers were present here. The Roman villa was built later in that century. At first, it was made of wood. Over the next 250 years, it grew into a grand stone house.
Around 70 AD, a simple cottage-style villa was built. From the 2nd century onwards, it became a much larger villa with wings and a courtyard. A huge stone-lined well from the 2nd century was found here. It's one of the biggest in Roman Britain! This well has given us lots of clues about the environment and life back then.
The villa also had two bath-houses. One might have been for the workers on the estate. The other, smaller one, was probably for the villa owners.
Who Owned the Roman Villa?
We even know the names of two possible owners from the 2nd century AD! Their names, Tiberius Claudius Verus and Tiberius Claudius Severus, were stamped on some of the villa's tiles. They were probably related.
Their names suggest they were Roman citizens, but they were most likely native Britons. This was when the villa was at its biggest and grandest. Objects found at the site came from all over the Roman Empire. This shows that Piddington was part of a busy economy with many trading partners.
After the Romans Left
Around the end of the 3rd century, the villa was suddenly left empty. Much of it was even taken apart on purpose. From the beginning of the 4th century, new families moved in and lived there until at least the end of that century.
There's also proof of early Anglo-Saxon activity. This includes at least three burials and possibly a dwelling. The local church, which is probably Anglo-Saxon, is close to the villa site.
Digging Up the Past
Workmen first found parts of the site in 1781 while digging for limestone. They uncovered a complete mosaic (a picture made of small colored pieces). Sadly, people from Northampton took it away as "souvenirs."
Serious digging started in 1959. Since 1979, the Upper Nene Archaeological Society has been working part-time to save and study the site. Parts of the site are close to the surface, so they can be damaged by farming. The local farmer helps to protect it. Digging happens on Sundays throughout the year, and for a few weeks in spring and late summer.
Piddington Villa Museum
On September 4, 2004, Tony Robinson from the TV show Time Team officially opened the Piddington Villa Museum. The Upper Nene Archaeological Society (UNAS) bought the old chapel in 1992. They spent years restoring it and raising money. They even got a big grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund.
The museum now shows many of the amazing things found during the long dig at Piddington Villa. The excavation is still going on! Besides the displays, the building stores many found objects. You can also see how life might have been in Roman Britain. There's even a library and study room.
The museum is popular with local history groups and schools learning about early British history. It has important archaeological items and displays that show 500 years of life at the settlement. These include:
- A detailed model of the villa as it looked in the late 2nd century.
- A life-sized model of a possible owner, Tiberius Claudius Severus, with an audio presentation.
- A full-scale model of parts of a typical Roman roof and a hypocaust, which was the Roman heating system.
In 2006, the museum and the digs won the "Mick Aston Award" from the Council for British Archaeology. This award is for the best way to show an archaeological project to the public.
The villa and museum have a "friends" group. Liz and Roy Friendship-Taylor, who are directors, have done a lot to help investigate this important site.
