Discover the ruins of a bustling Roman town in England

Archaeologists have discovered exceptionally well-preserved remains of an Iron Age village.

This village developed into a busy ancient Roman trading town. One of the newly discovered relics contains an archaeological gem with more than 300 Roman coins, a glass vase and a well - in what is now the South county of Northamptonshire, England.

According to about 80 archaeologists from the Museum of Archeology of London (MOLA), there are many ancient artifacts and structures spanning different time periods.

Roman coin discovered during archaeological excavations at Blackgrounds, UK.

'What you'll see is a different set of activities of working people and traders,' said James West, site manager of MOLA.

Archaeologists have known about the history of the Blackgrounds since the 18th century, but it was not until the survey and excavation of HS2 that they realized the remarkable preservation potential of the area.

For example, they learned that during the Iron Age, the village had more than 30 round houses located near a road. Over time, the settlement prospered and expanded. During the Roman period, the people of the Blackgrounds built new stone buildings and roads.

The transition from Iron Age village to Roman town was so rapid, it is likely that the inhabitants of the Blackgrounds remained the same, adapting to the ways of the Roman Empire - a transition known as is Romanization. This included the use of Roman customs, products and construction techniques, the archaeologists said.

Excavations revealed that the settlement was divided into several different zones, including a domestic area with a building foundation and an industrial area with a preserved workshop, furnace, and well. Parts of Blackgrounds have terracotta, an indication that burning occurred at the site - for example, a toaster oven, a foundry for metalworking, or a ceramic kiln.

Other artifacts showing Blackgrounds prosperity include Roman textile accessories, decorative ceramics, and a Roman snakehead brooch. The archaeological team also found galena, a lead sulfide mineral that the ancient Romans crushed and mixed with oil to make makeup.

The team also unearthed a set of shackles similar to those found in Great Casterton, a village in the East Midlands region of England. Although the newly discovered shackles were not discovered when burying humans, their presence suggests that blacks had experienced slave labor or criminal activity.