Community Heroes: Meon Valley Archaeological Heritage Group
July 5, 2018
You could travel along the A32 at Exton a hundred times and still have no idea that you’d passed through the centre of an archaeological treasure but, thanks to the Meon Valley Archaeological Heritage Group, we now know a lot more about life here 2,000 years ago.
The remains of a hall found on one side of the road in 1980 now sit in the British Museum and were first thought to be from a farm building. However following the discovery of Roman coins by detectorists in the field on the other side of the road, a geophysical survey in 2015 revealed a much bigger complex and a curious hexagonal building. Thanks to the discovery of a Dea Nutrix figurine goddess during a dig between 2016 and 2017 we now know that this building was a Roman temple. The dig also revealed that the first building found was in fact 30m long, as well as a bath house with the remains of a plaster stucco – students from Winchester University are now trying to put the scene back together. A £1,754 grant from the South Downs National Park’s Sustainable Communities Fund supported the costs of the professional surveys and getting a report written up.
Photo shows John Snow, Alison Smalley and Joan Terry of the Meon Valley Archaeological Heritage Group
Find out more at www.saxonsinthemeonvalley.org.uk