Shoppers at popular marketplace walked over 'vile' dungeon as archaeologists cite 'remarkable' finds

Archaeologists in the United Kingdom recently unearthed ancient relics beneath a bustling marketplace - including the remains of a "vile" dungeon.

Announcing the discovery in a Sept. 23 press release, officials at the University of Leicester said the dig yielded "extraordinary evidence of 2,000 years of human activity" in Leicester's marketplace.

Archaeologists uncovered the finds while working alongside construction crews who are redeveloping the market square.

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"Among the most poignant finds is the grave of a Roman infant, buried beneath a floor of a timber building dating back nearly 1,800 years," the university's statement said. 

"Nearby, the team uncovered rarely found Roman pottery kilns, offering new insights into domestic life and industry in Roman Leicester."

Excavation leader Gavin Speed said his team found pottery, coins, jewelry and small mosaic cubes amid the Roman sediment, as well as some traces of Anglo-Saxon settlers.

But the most eyebrow-raising discovery was the remains of a 16th-century dungeon. It was once described in historical records as "a most vile prison."

"The dungeon is believed to have been part of the Gainsborough Chamber - a building first mentioned in records in 1533," officials said. 

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"A high-status civic building, the chamber served as a venue for judicial proceedings, mayoral business, feasting and celebrations, until its demolition in around 1748."

Speed said the redevelopment of the market square provides "a rare opportunity to investigate what lies beneath this important site." 

"Leicester is one of the most archaeologically explored cities in the country, yet this particular area has remained relatively untouched - until now," said Speed. 

"We anticipated finding evidence of Roman occupation, as the marketplace sits in what would have been the southeast corner of Roman Leicester, but the discoveries have surpassed our expectations."

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Speed compared the entire excavation to "looking at a slice through an archaeological cake."

He said, "We can see multiple market surfaces, each representing a different generation and some 800 years of market activity. We have even identified traces of former medieval market stalls, preserved as post-holes."

Peter Soulsby, mayor of Leicester, emphasized the importance of "learn[ing] as much as we can" about the city's past.

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"We're very fortunate to have the expertise of ULAS in the city," he said. "The work of their archaeologists is showing how this key site has been in use for thousands of years, with everyone from the Romans to the Victorians leaving traces of their existence behind them."

He added, "ULAS will continue to work alongside our contractors to extract as much information from the site as they can, and I hope we'll be able to put some of the archaeologists' remarkable finds on display for the public to enjoy too."

Leicester is about 91 miles south of York, where archaeologists recently discovered the remains of a medieval hospital in a similar excavation.

In June, a sinkhole in York yielded remnants of St. Leonard's Hospital, built between the 12th and 13th centuries.