Dr Simon Elliott, Honorary Research Fellow in the Department of Classical & Archaeological Studies, featured in a double-page spread in the Kent Messenger newspaper (dated 26 August 2018) in an article exploring ‘Roman History in Kent’.
The article looks at Simon’s research on ragstone quarries, an extensive industry in the region in Roman times.
‘Ragstone is grey-green sandy limestone from the Hythe Beds in the Lower Greensand geological formation – which we today identify as the Weald,’ explains Simon in the article.
‘It was utilised across the south east of the province of Britannia – the Roman name for Britain – in huge quantities, either as dressed facing stone in-fill rubble, or to create hard road surfaces, principally because it is hard-wearing but also workable.The sheer scale of this industry is particularly striking, with enormous quantities of stone utilised.’