Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

During excavations undertaken in Dover town centre by Kent Archaeological Rescue Unit, a Roman military bath house was excavated and recorded. A series of at least five drains appear to have served the bath house, the south-western drain took water from room four south eastwards under the courtyard. (location accurate to the nearest 2m based on available information).

Monument Types

• DRAIN (south west drain, Roman - 155 AD? to 375 AD)

Associated Finds

• STATUE (Roman - 100 AD? to 150 AD?)

Full description

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(summarised from publication)

During excavations undertaken in Dover town centre by Kent Archaeological Rescue Unit, a Roman military bath house was excavated and recorded. A series of at least five drains appear to have served the bath house, the south-western drain took water from room four south eastwards under the courtyard. The north end connected with the southern wall of room four but it had been heavily robbed. The remaining evidence suggests that it had flint walls set on a base of greensand slabs, 30cm wide but survived only to a depth of 12cm. (1)

A fine example of a diademed marble head of a woman was located within the south west drain on the Roman bath house at Dover. The head measures 150mm from chin to crown 143mm wide and 115mm from front to back. The head is a portrait, probably in Greek marble, of a wealthy Roman matron who must have lived in Dover in the second century AD. Prof. J. Toynbee, a leading authority on Roman art, who visited the excavations at Dover, said that the head was in the style of the Empress SABINA, wife of HADRIAN '117-138 AD'. A feature of interest on the Dover head is the hair which falls down in front of the ears and brow. This may be compared with the arrangement of the hair on a bronze head of Hellenistic date which has tentatively been identified as Aphrodite. Isis was often worshipped with Aphrodite in Roman times and it is possible that the unusual hairstyle of the Dover head reflects an amalgamation of this sort. It is difficult to date this object stylistically but a date of mid0-second century is suggested. (1-2)

<1> Brian Philp, The Discovery and Excavation of the Roman Shore Fort at Dover, Kent (Monograph). SKE32061.

<2> Anne McLeod, 1975, Kent Archaeological Review: Roman Marble Head found at Dover. Vol. 41 (Article in serial). SKE31853.

Sources and further reading

Related records