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Roman Ruins Uncovered at England’s Exeter Cathedral

England Exeter CathedralEXETER, ENGLAND—BBC News reports that traces of a Roman street and timber buildings were uncovered in southwest England at the site of the cloister garden at Exeter Cathedral during an investigation ahead of the construction of a new cloister gallery. “The street and early timber buildings date from circa A.D. 50 to 75, and formed elements of the Roman legionary fortress which underlies central Exeter,” said cathedral archaeologist John Allan. The timbers may have been part of a long barracks, he surmised. The wall of a Roman townhouse dated to the third and fourth centuries A.D. was also found under the foundations of the medieval cloisters, which were destroyed in 1656. To read about traces of Roman occupation beneath a Swiss cathedral, go to "Off the Grid: Saint Pierre Cathedral, Geneva, Switzerland."