Some of the largest and most important urban excavations ever undertaken in Europe are presented in this publication. They were conducted in the heart of the City of Canterbury, giving a record of its occupation over the last 2,000 years. Early excavations were carried out by the Canterbury Excavation Committee between 1946 and 1955, and more recently by the Canterbury Archaeological Trust between 1978 and 1982, prior to the construction of a large shopping arcade.


Part I provides an interpretation of over 100 structures which are discussed and illustrated in detail. These include a Belgic triple-ditched enclosure containing round-houses; the Roman public bath-house, portico and piscina, with adjacent town-houses, shops and streets; Anglo-Saxon sunken structures; medieval churches with associated burials, stables and rubbish pits; and a number of post-medieval buildings.


Part II contains extensive reports on the finds including important groups of Late Roman, Anglo-Saxon and post-medieval pottery. Amongst the small find reports is a large collection of brooches dating from pre-Roman to Anglo-Saxon times; waste from a Roman bone pin workshop; a unique group of Roman horse harness equipment; and Anglo-Saxon bone combs. A large assemblage of glass including a fragment of a Roman chariot race cup is published, as well as specialist reports on building materials including painted wall plaster, marble and tile.