00:00Back in 2023, during an evaluation dig for a housing development by London Road in Tenham,
00:05the Canterbury Archaeology Trust discovered Roman artefacts in a buried mausoleum, including
00:10a statue of the sea god Triton.
00:13The nature of the statue was particularly unusual because of how detailed and in good
00:17condition it was, aside from a missing hand and head, the latter of which they later recovered.
00:22This led to a study by the Cambridge University Press into the origins of the statue and the
00:26mausoleum itself.
00:28Now they say all roads lead to Rome and that's especially true for London Road, even though
00:32it now leads to Favisham, it was once a Roman road.
00:36And that's why some archaeologists have theorised the placement of this mausoleum containing
00:40the statue of the sea god Triton could be here at the Frognell Lane development, simply
00:45because of how close it is to that Roman road.
00:48I spoke to Dr Steve Willis with the University of Kent, who's also appeared on shows like
00:52Digging for Britain and Time Team, and advised the Archaeology Trust on the dig.
00:56It's very well preserved, there's fantastic sculptural detail there.
01:02It's more or less intact with a few parts missing, but the main essence of it is there
01:08for all to see.
01:09And a sculptural stone from the province of Roman Britain is fairly scarce.
01:16I mean, we think of the Romans as having lovely marble statues and part of the cultural life
01:22of the elite in particular, but in Britain we don't see a lot of that and where we do
01:29find it tends to be in those areas where the Roman military are for a long time and also
01:34those areas which have good stone that can be carved in that sort of way.
01:39In the study, they say they believe the Triton statue was ritually killed before being buried,
01:44with the decapitation being on purpose, alongside a water tank that it might have been submerged
01:49in and the finding of a burnt deposit, suggesting the statue was also burned.
01:53They mention this could have come from a shift to Christian idols, but couldn't confirm
01:57anything specifically.
01:58They end the study by saying the Tenum Triton is without a doubt one of the most significant
02:03and exciting discoveries to have emerged from Roman Britain in recent times.
02:07The Frognall Lane development, set to be built by Moat Homes and Chartway Partnerships Group,
02:11was impacted by the find, and they said this study marks another important and exciting
02:16chapter in the history of the Triton.
02:18It's journey and discovery at our housing site in Tenum.
02:21We are committed to ensuring the unearthed artefacts are preserved and protected, recognising
02:25their significant archaeological importance.
02:27What will happen to the statue hasn't yet been determined, but it marks an interesting
02:31and unique step forward in the understanding of Romans in Kent and the entire country.
02:36Finn McDermid for KMTV in Tenum.
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