Archaeological evidence around and underneath the Cathedral indicates that there was a Roman building on this site, including evidence of a boundary ditch and monumental stonework. This may indicate a substantial building, possibly a temple or monumental arch, confirmed by a huge amount of Roman pottery found in an archaeological dig in 2016. If this building was a temple, it is interesting to speculate whether it was later rededicated as a church when the Romans became Christians. A carving previously thought to be Saxon is now identified as Roman, possibly depicting fates or spirits.
We are a nation of animal lovers, with dogs and cats the most popular pets, but did they have pets in the Roman period? The Roman period was from AD43-410, so the remains of Roman pets would be long gone. So what can we look for?
One thing we can look for is paw prints on pottery and roof tiles. Whilst waiting to be fired (baked) clay objects were left out to dry before going in the oven. Occasionally animals jumped on to the pottery and left little paw prints behind.
A Roman roof tile was found in Castor with a small paw print, possibly a cat, pressed into it. Castor was close to Durobrivae, a large Roman town, and was the home of a large pottery industry. You can view the roof tile at Peterborough Museum where you can look for other paw prints and signs of Roman pets.
Romans, like us, liked pictures of their pets and mosaics of animals, especially dogs have been found throughout the Roman world.
