Excavation Report MHV19

The Excavation Report produced for the BHP by Cotswold Archaeology for the excavations at the Mud Hole Villa in 2019 is available to download. It makes for interesting reading – particularly surprising is the “bone” report – not one usually at the top of the reading list. Mud Hole Villa is compared to other Roman establishments including Fishbourne Palace on account of the lavish meals consumed and suggests a possible use of the building – a hunting lodge. Was this the Michelin starred eatery of its time? The bulk of the report is devoted to the scholarly interpretation of the mosaic by Anthony Beeson to whom we are greatly indebted.

Also available to download is a review of the book “The Boxford Mosaic” by the Journal of Roman Archaeology. This majors on Anthony Beeson’s interpretation of the mosaic but also refers to the colour photographs of our talented volunteers David Shepherd, Chris Forsey and Richard Miller.

The unpublished Excavation Reports for Hoar Hill 2015, Wyfield Manor 2016 and Mud Hole 2017 are held by the authors Steve Clark and Lindsey Bedford – for details of their reports email: archaeology@westberks.gov.uk