Why is Roman stuff buried, & Neolithic stuff not?

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suave harv S
suave harv Oct 18, 2017 12:03:25
Replying to common era

I've been to Callanish and there's peat everywhere. If you look at early postcards of the place you can even see the 'peat-line' on the stones. But it's the only stone circle I can think of that was buried. I know some Avebury stones were buried, but they were in trenches dug. But this Wroxeter, a whole city is three foot under the fields I Shropshire! (and it's still buried!).

If that kind of dirt and soil coverage is considered normal, then there must be *thousands* of stone circles covered up. Know what I mean?

S suave harv
suave harv Oct 18, 2017 12:11:54
Replying to suave harv

Here's a picture I took that shows the excavated Roman columns.

https://postimg.org/image/lvausa1kz/

They're a good three foot under the current surface. I initially thought they'd somehow sunk, but the EH guy assured me they're in their original spot.

After years of looking at remains that are 4,000 years old, and still at the same level as they where when erected, I can't understand where all that thousands of tonnes of soil on top of Wroxeter Roman city comes from. I must be missing something really obvious.

M Monganaut
Monganaut Oct 18, 2017 12:19:24
Replying to suave harv

Didn't a Saxon settlement grow up in the remains of Wroxeter after it was a Roman town? I'm guessing, that cos' most saxon buildings were wood, mud and thatch, and depending how long it was occupied like this, I'm guessing the accumilation of delapidated buildings, parts of the site stones beind removed/ knocked down and being used elsewhere, parts being farmed, cattle/sheep/people etc. would have meant quite a lot of organic matter built up over time, and when it finally fell into tital disrepair, trees/shubs/nature takes over. It's only a matter of time till stuff gets 'submerged', esp under brambles. Also, don't underestimate 'worm action', those fuckers in sufficient numbers can move/disrupt tonnes of earth in no time. Chedworth villa was buried too, and I'm sure some of those Orcadian tombs have been found by accident when buried, so It's not just thr Roman stuff that 'disappears'.

Also, most organic (and sometime non organic) household refuse was dumped on fields as fertalizer during most periods of farming prior to 20th century, so ground levels on good farmland can raise substantially over time when it is mixed in to soil during ploughing.