During construction works carried out in 2017 on the A1 motorway, leading from London to Edinburgh, traces of the existence of Roman urban centres and an ancient road were found.
Scientists date the centre to 60 CE, which proves that it is the oldest inhabited area of this type discovered in northern England. So far, York or Carlisle, which date back to 70 CE, were considered such.
A statue of an actor carved in amber and over 1,400 fragments of clay moulds for melting gold, silver and copper coins were also found. It is thus the northernmost place where it has been proven that coins were minted. What’s more, there must have been an industrial and administrative industry in this region.
Over time, the discovered centre lost its prestige to the city of Cataractonium (south), which was the centre of leather processing. There, scientists discovered a silver ring in the shape of a coiled snake, keys of various shapes, ink containers, burins and lead pipes used to mark straight paths.
