Historian Liz Davies writes about life in Roman times in St Neots.
Until recently we have known very little about Roman St Neots, but over the last 15 years the large housing developments at Loves Farm and at Wintringham and the major road improvement schemes for the A14 and the A428 have produced a wealth of new evidence.
The detailed excavations at both Loves Farm and Wintringham have revealed that by the time of the Roman invasion in AD 43 the St Neots area was a prosperous farming region with the round houses of Iron Age farmers nestled across the landscape.
Local farmers grew wheat and barley and the bones of the many animals found by archaeologists reveal they kept cows, sheep and pigs for meat, hides and wool.
They also kept horses which would have been status symbols, used for travel and also to pull ploughs and chariots.
The discovery of several carefully buried dog skeletons also reveals that dogs were being kept probably to help with hunting and also possibly as pets.
At Loves Farm one of the most fascinating discoveries was the small bronze handle of a spatula tool in the shape of the goddess Minerva.
It would have been used to cut up blocks of wax either for us on writing tablets or for making medical ointments and its discovery suggests that at least some of the Romano-British people at Loves Farm could read and write.
Minerva was the goddess of wisdom, the arts, and strategy in warfare and was a powerful goddess worshipped across Britain during the Roman period.
Religion was enormously important to both the Iron Age Celts and the Roman invaders, with a widespread belief that gods and goddesses controlled the natural world.
The importance of religion to local people during the Roman period has recently been highlighted by the unexpected discovery, within the Roman settlement at Wintringham, of a building thought to have been a rural roadside shrine.
The important status of the building was emphasised by the discovery that it had stone foundations and that the walls of the three inside rooms were plastered and painted in a cream, black and red colour scheme.
Find out more about Roman St Neots at the Meet the Romans event at the Museum on Saturday 16th March.
Visitors will be able to meet a Roman Centurion from the Longthorpe Legion who will explain military life and has replica armour for children to try.
Also visiting the museum is an experienced Roman surgeon with his instruments and expert knowledge of ancient medicine.
However, if you prefer to put your faith in the gods, another member of the legion will be revealing the many different gods and goddesses worshiped by the Romans and brought to Britain with the invasion of AD 43.
Finally, if you are feeling hungry, meet Roman housewife, Socia Juncina, and sample some of her Roman food.
Tickets £5 for adults, children free, full refund if you join the Friends of the Museum on the day.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here