BBC Digging For Britain host staggered by 2,000-year-old notes written by first Londoners
BBC Digging For Britain presenter Alice Roberts was blown away when archaeologists unearthed ancient letters revealing what London was like 2,000 years ago.
Digging For Britain: Ancient notes written by the first Londoner's
Researchers have discovered many amazing finds on Digging for Britain, but in the latest episode of the show, even BBC host Dr Alice Roberts was shocked by what archaeologists managed to dig up in the ruins of ancient London.
When she visited the excavation site to check in on the field crew's progress, workers on the ground showed off a series of special wooden writing tablets they had unearthed.
Members of the production team quickly moved the historical artefacts to a lab where they could be examined for insights into the lives of the first-ever Londoners.
And once a Latin expert was able to decode what was written on the notes, the Digging for Britain presenter was blown away to find out how unique the items were.
Already thrilled by the find, Dr Alice turned to Professor Roger Tomlin, gushing: "What an amazing sight, and how fantastic to have writing preserved."
READ MORE The surprising UK city which once 'ruled Rome' – and it’s not Bath [LATEST]
She then went on to ask him: "Roger, what do these letters actually say?"
After deciphering the Latin shorthand on the tablets, he shared: "They tell us all sorts of tantalising extracts of what Roman businessmen were writing to each other about.
"This is a particularly well-preserved tablet.
"When I saw this in the conservation lab I was very excited. I could read the first word at the top - a reference to the Emperor Nero."
Even more exciting than the mention of the well-known historical figure, however, was another piece of information that led Roger to label one tablet the "earliest dated financial document".
He continued: "Then the date. It seems to be the earliest dated financial document. Only about 10 years after the Romans got to London - and here they are setting up enterprises, importing and exporting."
Dr Alice was overcome by the revelation. After a moment of silence, she shared her emotional reaction to the find, saying: "It's just astonishing. This is the kind of detail that we can expect from the Second World War, and to be able to reconstruct that level of detail going back 2,000 years ago, that's amazing."
