ARCHAEOLOGISTS are hoping to prove the Romans made it to Alderney.Guernsey Museum’s Dr Jason Monaghan will again direct a dig at the Nunnery, in the Longis area of the island, from Saturday 28 August. The five-day dig will be undertaken in association with the Alderney Society.
Jason will give a talk at Alderney Museum next Friday on the work he and volunteers have undertaken at the site over the past two years.
He said the Nunnery was potentially one of the Channel Islands’ most important heritage sites.
‘If the folk story is true and this is a Roman fort, then it is very important. It’s long been suspected of being a Roman fort but it’s never really been proved. However, if Alderney did host the Romans it’s extremely important because there aren’t many Roman structures in the Channel Islands. There are a couple of sites in Guernsey, which have been heavily chopped, and one in Jersey, but in Alderney you can see all the different occupations, which show how much activity has taken place here.’
Jason said digging at the Nunnery was challenging.
‘It’s enigmatic and gives up its secrets reluctantly. People have been digging here for 100 years.
‘When we have found Roman pottery it’s tended to be little bits, not a big lump so we can say what it is and where it’s from.’
The primary task is to date any artefacts which are found.
‘It’s tricky because the Romans were a messy lot. They threw things away – a lot of forts in England contain a lot of rubbish. It seems they packed up and went home and left a lot of rubbish behind.’
The Alderney Society’s Robin Whicker said: ‘Despite the difficulty of finding precise dating material in the shifting sands of Longis, there is growing evidence that the Nunnery represents a square or rectangular Roman shore fort lying within a later outer wall. The exact dimensions of the fort, the width of its walls, the position of its gate and how tall it was are questions still to be answered, as is the date of the foundations.’
Robin said the latest dig would be tough.
‘Those who have previously been involved will know that archaeological digging is hard work. Layers of soil and stone have to be scraped away, inch by inch, and barrow loads of earth sifted and searched.’
Anyone interested in getting involved should contact Alderney Museum on 823222. Jason’s talk starts at 6pm next Friday – everyone is welcome.
A commemorative garden is to be officially opened by TV presenter Miranda Krestovnikoff next week.
The Sapper George Onions Peace Garden, which has been developed next to the proposed leisure centre site in York Hill, will be unveiled on Friday at 6pm.
Alderney Community and Sports Centre volunteers started building the peace garden last autumn. It is dedicated to the memory of Sapper Onions, who died in 1945 while clearing one of the 35,000 mines left in the island during the Nazi Occupation.
Children from St Anne’s School have supported the project by planting 95 trees and producing clay plaques which depict various aspects of island life.
The land was cleared by Alderney Wildlife Trust and members of Alderney Community Team. The project also received donations of large seating planters and mature rowan trees.
Author: James Varley | Source: The Guernsey Press [August 21, 2010]