Archaeologists in Suffolk, England, have uncovered evidence that a Bronze Age barrow later became the center of a Roman religious shrine, showing how the same location remained important for more than 2,000 years. The site at Red Lodge began as an Early Bronze Age funerary monument before the Romans built a religious complex around it, according to a study led by Angus Forshaw.
The site, known as Land East of Kings Warren, was excavated in 2016 before residential development. Archaeologists found evidence of human activity from the Neolithic period through the Middle Ages. However, the research focuses on the Bronze Age monument and its later reuse during Roman times.
Researchers identified a large circular ditch about 45 meters, or 148 feet, across. It once surrounded a raised burial mound. Later farming largely destroyed the mound, and no original burial survived. Similar Bronze Age burial landscapes have been uncovered elsewhere in England, including a cemetery of more than 20 ancient barrows near Stonehenge dating from about 2400 B.C. to 1500 B.C.
Dating of sediments from the ditch placed the monument between about 2200 and 1600 B.C., confirming its Early Bronze Age origin.
The barrow stood on slightly higher ground than the surrounding landscape. Researchers believe its builders deliberately chose the location to make the monument more visible. Very few other Bronze Age features were found nearby. This suggests people may have kept the surrounding area clear to preserve the prominence of the barrow.
Romans built a sacred enclosure around the barrow
The site took on a new role during the Roman period. From around the second century A.D., people created a large rectangular sacred enclosure around the prehistoric monument.
Known as a “temenos,” the enclosure may have covered about 3.2 hectares, or nearly 8 acres. Archaeologists found little evidence of ordinary settlement inside it. Instead, pits, boundaries, animal deposits and a possible well point to religious activity. The Bronze Age barrow remained near the center of the sacred space.
Researchers found a complete dog skeleton buried with a horse shoulder blade near the enclosure boundary. Elsewhere, they uncovered an almost complete cockerel alongside cattle bone, deer antler and iron nails.
Carefully placed animal remains and other objects have been found at Roman sanctuary sites where archaeologists identified evidence of ritual activity. The arrangement of the Red Lodge remains similarly suggests they were deliberately deposited as part of religious practices.
A deep shaft between the entrance and the barrow may have served as a well. Researchers suggest water from it may have been used for cleansing or other religious practices.
A small Roman shrine stood beside the ancient monument
Religious activity became more elaborate during the later Roman period. Archaeologists uncovered a small rectangular timber building immediately east of the barrow.
The structure measured about 5 by 4.5 meters. Researchers identified it as a shrine. Its walls were probably made of timber and wattle and daub. Large amounts of roof tile found nearby indicate it had a tiled roof.
Archaeologists in Suffolk have uncovered evidence that a Bronze Age barrow became the center of a Roman religious shrine more than 2,000 years later.
Pig skulls, coins, animal burials and votive objects reveal centuries of ritual activity at Red Lodge. pic.twitter.com/cFrckkP54B
— Tom Marvolo Riddle (@tom_riddle2025) August 13, 2026
Archaeologists also recovered about 48 kilograms, or 106 pounds, of painted wall plaster. The decoration included red, white, pink, green, and purple. Evidence of several layers of paint suggests the shrine was redecorated during its use.
Inside the building, possible column bases may once have supported a small altar. Its modest size and simple layout suggest it served a rural community rather than functioning as a large Roman temple.
Pig remains and coins point to ritual offerings
Some of the strongest evidence for religious activity came from pits immediately beside the shrine. Archaeologists discovered six deposits containing pig skulls and limb bones. The skulls had been deliberately positioned facing east toward the shrine. Coins were placed on some of them, including coins associated with Roman Emperor Antoninus Pius and Faustina.
Researchers believe some pits were reopened several times so that new offerings could be added. Coins, bracelets, brooches, tweezers and fragments of votive plaques were also recovered around the shrine and from the barrow ditch.
Finds from other Roman religious sites in Britain similarly show how personal objects could become part of religious and ritual practices. Some objects appear to have been deliberately broken or folded before being deposited.
A young cow was also buried on the opposite side of the barrow from the shrine. Researchers found no evidence that the animal had been butchered or eaten, strengthening the possibility that it was deposited for ritual purposes.
The variety of offerings makes it difficult to identify a single deity worshipped at Red Lodge. Researchers suggest the shrine may have served several deities or supported religious practices tied to the local rural community.
Religious activity faded in the fourth century
The religious complex appears to have declined around the middle of the fourth century A.D. Archaeologists found no clear evidence that people deliberately destroyed the shrine. Instead, the building and surrounding sacred area seem to have gradually fallen out of use.
The location may still have remained important long afterward. Archaeologists discovered a medieval male burial in one of the former Roman enclosure ditches. Radiocarbon dating placed the burial between A.D. 1169 and 1266.
Historical records also suggest the barrow may have stood near a gallows during the 13th century. Archaeologists found no physical remains of a gallows, and the skeleton showed no evidence of injuries linked to hanging.
The Red Lodge discoveries show how the meaning of one prominent place changed over thousands of years. An Early Bronze Age burial monument became the focus of a Roman sacred enclosure and shrine before remaining a landmark in the medieval landscape.
Forshaw’s research suggests the Roman choice of location was unlikely to have been accidental. By placing their religious complex around the ancient barrow, people gave a much older monument a new sacred role while preserving its importance in the landscape.
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