Roman bronze collection unearthed

A rare collection of Roman bronzes have been unearthed at the bottom of a well in the City of London.

Wine buckets, a cauldron, dishes and handled shallow bowls were among the items found during a nine-month dig near Throgmorton Avenue this year.

Archaeologists have hailed the find as the most significant in 30 years of excavations in the Upper Walbrook valley area.

The artefacts will go on display at the Museum of London on Friday.

Experts say the bronzes, found in a wood-lined well, are exceptionally well preserved and offer a rare glimpse into the last days of Londinium, the Roman name for London.

The finds were uncovered at Drapers Gardens, a site owned by the Drapers Company, during a dig by Pre-Construct Archaeology and comprise large wine buckets, a cauldron and large dishes, handled shallow bowls or dippers, part of a hanging bowl, a set of three nested bowls, a flagon, an iron ladle and a trivet. They are, in the main, made of copper alloy with several vessels, a flagon and dish, in lead alloy. To find uncorroded metal tableware of this type is remarkable and extremely rare. Some of the objects even have swing handles that remain articulated after nearly 1700 years...….