HISTORY is being uncovered at an archaeological dig site in York, where a Roman building is just one of the treasures that has been discovered.

First year students at the University of York have only been carrying out fieldwork at the site, in Heslington East, Field Lane, since last month, but they have already unearthed remnants of a Roman building with an underfloor heating system.

The archaeologists have also found on the site third-century coins and high-status pottery sherds - which are a variant of shards - as well as a cobbled surface which may have supported a significant structure such as a tower.

Cath Neal, the university's field work officer for Heslington East, said part of the floor of the Roman building was still intact, as well as some of its wall foundations.

She said the team had found evidence of structures neighbouring the building, which she said the team believed may have been outbuildings.

She said: "The finds we are making are very unusual and exciting. We need to work hard to fully understand them, but post-excavation work on the finds and further digs will help us build up a picture of life on this site in the Roman period and beyond.

"This will all add to the history of Heslington."

Children from Lord Deramore's Primary School, in School Lane, Heslington, have explored the site, and students from the university will visit the school in July to show pupils findings from the dig.

The students will also take items uncovered during the dig to Badger Hill Primary School, in Crossways, York, where pupils will have a chance to feast their eyes on some of the discoveries.

Cath said: "Instead of digging the whole site commercially, the idea is to set this up as a community thing so I can get local people involved in the archaeology here, and we can use it to train our undergraduate students and to do some academic research.

"We can try and integrate academic research, training and the commercial work."

The project at the site, which is also being dug by York Archaeological Trust (YAT), is being done over the next three years, before the university is expanded on to the plot of land.

Cath said: "We're going to try and end up with a report that's written by us and YAT, so that people find out what's going on at the site.

"It's all about making it available to members of the public."