Thistleton Dyer
A Roman settlement and religious center known only from air photography and excavation. The remains comprise a large villa, a settlement probably associated with it, and a religious site with a circular timber building of the 1st c. A.D., replaced by a stone structure, also circular.
In the late 3d c. the circular shrine was swept away and a large basilican temple (19.5 x 13.5 m overall) was built. A votive deposit in this temple contained a small silver plaque, inscribed with a dedication by one Mocuxsoma to the god Veteris, the first recorded occurrence of the cult outside the military areas of Roman Britain. Basilican temples, whether in urban or rural contexts, are rare in the W Roman provinces, and surprising in a rustic area. It is possible that the temples attracted worshipers from a considerable area around Thistleton, perhaps to occasional fairs or festivals. The presence of Iron Age pottery and coins suggests that the site had a religious significance before the Roman conquest. Outside the temple, and at right angles to it, was a large hall-like structure, perhaps a place of assembly.
BIBLIOGRAPHYM.J.T. Lewis, Temples in Roman Britain (1966) 84, 93ff; R. G. Collingwood & I. A. Richmond, The Archaeology of Roman Britain (1969) pl. XIIa; JRS 52 (1962) 171I.
M. TODD