Imagine being a Celtic pilgrim around 100 BC. You are drawn to this very spot at Springhead Roman Site. This place of marshes called Vagniacis is sacred.
Here at Springhead eight natural springs feed a pool. For the Celts, this abundance of water signified divine favor. They established a ceremonial way here. They also dug sacred pits filled with animal remains and pottery. Coins were thrown as offerings.
Then the Romans arrived around AD43. They saw the religious importance too. They also recognized a strategic location. The Romans initially built a supply base. It secured their occupation but Kent didn’t strongly resist.
Springhead’s significance grew when the Romans built Watling Street. This road connected Dover and London. It ran directly through Vagniacis. This brought travelers and pilgrims.
Imagine the scene. A bustling settlement emerged. By the end of the 1st century AD, perhaps 1,000 to 2,000 people lived here. The central area covered about 37 acres.
Around the sacred pool a walled sanctuary was built. Inside were shrines or temples. There was a large tree, a bath, and a bakery. Sacrificial pits held dead animals and pottery. Platforms overlooked the pool so visitors could view the sacred site. A guest house accommodated pilgrims.
Votive offerings littered temple floors at Springhead. Religious items included goddess figurines and stone altars. Some discoveries were eerie. The bodies of four children were found in one temple. Two were headless. This suggests a religious ritual. Fourteen other child burials were near a bakery. Were these human sacrifices or natural deaths? We don’t know. A deep shaft held ritual deposits. These included human and animal skulls.
The Celtic influence remained strong. The Romans disapproved of human sacrifice. Ten Springhead temples were found in earlier digs. Wessex Archaeology uncovered two more. One was a sanctuary complex. It may be the oldest religious structure here at Springhead. It featured a central shrine. Stone columns adorned the front. The sanctuary also included a portico. Many Roman coins and brooches were found in the now-dry riverbed.
Another temple was built of stone across the pool. This temple had a central tower and tiled floors. Traces of wall paintings survived.
Springhead’s unique complex of temples and shrines made it famous. Finds from these sites were remarkable. The settlement served religious needs. It also provided for travelers on Watling Street. The Ebbsfleet allowed access to the Thames.
Buildings lined Watling Street. These included a barn and smithies. There was a bakery and a possible dyeing complex. A bathhouse and a roadside shrine stood at a street junction.
The temples may have closed in the 4th century. Christianity led emperors to suppress pagan sites. But Springhead’s story didn’t end. A Saxon cemetery dating to AD650-700 was found nearby. Villagers buried their dead with jewelry, coins, and weapons.
Medieval pottery and silver pennies show continued activity. Travelers still sought shelter and provisions. Later, the road diverted north. The area declined but watercress cultivation revived it in the 19th century. This was the earliest commercial production in the country.
The excavation here at Springhead saw the use of metal detectors. A local detectorist named Roger Richards volunteered. He found about three-quarters of the metal objects. These included Roman and Celtic coins. He also found brooches and a Saxon sword. His discovery of a brooch led to the Saxon cemetery find.
Springhead was an archaeologist’s dream. It revealed different periods of occupation. Finds included brooches, spatulas, coins, pin bones and pottery. The most exciting find was a Saxon sword. It was found with Roger Richards’ help.
One brooch was a Visigothic design. It was from the 5th-6th century. The Visigoths lived in Spain and northern France. This brooch shows connections between Kent and Visigothic groups.
Today you stand at Springhead Roman Site. It is a place of ancient springs and religious significance. It is also a testament to human activity over centuries.