This talk, delivered by Dr Philippa Walton, explores why so many Roman objects were deposited at bridges and river crossings throughout the Roman world. Were they offerings to the gods or did rivers represent convenient rubbish dumps?
We'll zoom in on the impressive finds recovered from the River Tees at Piercebridge in County Durham and the River Moselle Trier in Germany and explore how these objects can help us answer this question, while also revealing all sorts of interesting information about the people responsible for their deposition.
Philippa has worked as an archaeologist for more than twenty years. She is particularly interested in Roman coinage and objects and is currently working on a project trying to work out why so many ended up in rivers throughout the Roman empire. You may recognise her from the popular archaeological TV show Time Team, where she has frequently appeared as a Roman finds expert.