Binchester Roman Fort

County Durham, England is an archaeologists dream, proof has been found there that shows humans did indeed inhabit the area as far back as 4000 BC. Farming implements, pottery, tools and tools that could be used to build houses and still more tools that could be used to process animal hides.

One of the many places discovered in the area was what is called Binchester Roman Fort, the site had been known about since the 16th Century, but other than some possible vandalism over the years an actual dig on site did not happen until the late 1800's. This one dig site has managed to encompass buildings, streets and settlements. This site alone has kept the archaeologist in that area busy for over 100 years.

Over the last 100 years many interesting sites have been uncovered including bath houses, bath suites, sections of the fort's timbers, ramparts and even a road that has been called Dere Street that is thought to have been used by the Roman's to get their supplies back and forth. There also appears to have been an ancient roof collapse that killed a woman as her bones were found amongst the rubble.

It appears that the Romans were very prominent in and around County Durham as the discovery of the Binchester Roman Fort is one of the area's greatest discoveries. Also found was a Roman bridge that would of been a crossing point across the River Tees to Dere Street. The river itself is now some 90 feet from the original site of the bridge as its course has changed over the centuries since the Roman bridge was built.

While the Binchester Roman Fort was one of the major discoveries for the area, there have been a number of other sites found throughout the years and the information and artifacts that have been gathered over the years enable those who study them to experience what life was like thousands of years ago.