#ThrowbackThursday Former Williams and Griffins

For this weeks #ThrowbackThursday we’re going to be taking a look at our excavation at Fenwick (formerly Williams and Griffins) in 2014.

During our excavations on the site we found much more than the famous hoard! In one of our excavation areas we found a collection of remarkably well preserved food remains which gave us a fascinating insight into the Roman lifestyle in the heart of 1st-century Colchester.

Organic remains don’t typically survive in the archaeological record due to their natural decomposition, but the fire caused by the Boudiccan revolt of AD 60-61 preserved a staggering amount of plant material by carbonisation. Cereals, pulses, exotic culinary herbs and spices and fruits such as figs, dates and grapes were amongst the foods identified in the assemblage, many of which were present in large quantities. The bulk of the finds were found on top of and adjacent to the charred remains of an oak shelf, suggesting the room they were found in must have been a kitchen or storeroom.

Foodstuffs including lentils, millet, fenugreek, figs, dates and grapes would likely have been imported from across the Roman empire – suggesting that the individuals residing in that house had both wealth and status within the community. What do you think of such a luxurious diet?