<![CDATA[One of the best collections of Roman jewellery has recently been uncovered in Britain. Reports suggest that the ancient collection of precious jewels was hastily buried by the Romans as Queen Boadicea advanced towards Colchester with her massive army. The collection includes a tangled metal ball, earrings, silver chains, coins, rings and gold armlets. Archaeologists believe that these items were abandoned by a rich Roman as they tried to escape the Iceni army marching towards the Roman capital in AD 61. According to Dr. Philip Crummy, director of the Colchester Archaeological Trust, the items which have been uncovered under the Essex high street are among the finest collections of antique jewellery to be unearthed in Britain- holding immense national importance. In particular, he believes that the historical context of these precious artefacts gives them great significance. Queen Boadicea also destroyed the cities of London and St. Albans, but most of the inhabitants of these cities had time to escape. The people of Colchester weren't as fortunate. Dr. Crummy states that even though the people of Colchester knew there was a huge army approaching, their town was practically defenceless, with just a small army of soldiers to act as protection. It can only be imagined what must have been be going through the minds of these locals as they came to learn about the infamous massacre of the Ninth Roman Legion, and the kind of carnage that awaited them. It is believed that they tried their best to hide their valuables and precious jewellery during the two day siege, before the city was overrun by the invading army. Evidence shows that many of the Roman women in Colchester were taken to sacred groves and killed in the most horrific of ways. The quality of jewellery that has been found on the site suggests that it had belonged to one of these unfortunate women. Whether the owner managed to escape the carnage or ended up in one of these sacred groves cannot be determined. Once Colchester was burned and ransacked, a layer of debris that rose up to half a meter covered most of the town. This layer is still being examined by archaeologists today, and the mass of collapsed or broken fragments from the upper portions of the debris piles are being separated to try and uncover more items of historic value. Although it is very rare to find human remains in such debris, archaeologists have managed to uncover a shin bone and a portion of a jaw that seem to have been cut by the sharp edge of a sword. Dr. Crummy states that his team also uncovered food on the floor of the room in which the pieces of jewellery were found. The food items uncovered include figs, grain, peas, dates and wheat. Other objects found at the site are currently being examined by specialists, to determine exactly what they were. The archaeologists hope to discover more pieces of jewellery as they continue working. All uncovered objects of historic importance are being transferred to a secure laboratory, where conservators will try to stabilize and clean them. ]]>
Roman Treasure Hidden from Boadicea's Army Finally Uncovered
