Archaeologists are continuing to make rare discoveries at a major dig in Staple Gardens, Winchester - with just days before they are due to finish their work.

The team from Oxford Archaeology have spent months sifting, digging and recording at the site, which has played host to Roman, Saxon and Iron Age settlements.

Already, they have discovered huge volumes of pottery, animal bones, coins and other artefacts, which help explain the significance of the area throughout the ages.

They are due to vacate the site on Monday before developers move in.

Their investigations have uncovered evidence of early roundhouses occupied by Iron Age man, when the site was part of Oram's Arbour, as well as Roman coins, when it had become a part of Venta Belgarum under Roman occupation. At the end of January, there was excitement when a rare silver coin was uncovered from the reign of King Canute, who ruled between 1013 and 1035.

This week, they have unearthed an Iron Age coin dating from around 50 BC and they have exposed a large section of a collapsed timbered wall from a second-century Roman building.

"The section of Roman building is particularly rare and provides a vivid picture of how these buildings were erected and helps us to characterise the area within Winchester," said Phil Emery, senior archaeologist with Gifford Archaeology, which is supervising the dig.

Mr Emery said the wall section, believed to have collapsed when the building was burnt down, was more intact than others found elsewhere in the country because it had been found lying on its side and had been preserved through carbonisation.

A section of the wall, which it is hoped will help shed light on Roman carpentry methods, has been lifted out and taken to a laboratory in Kent to be investigated under controlled conditions.

"It's very rare. We've had finds like this in London and elsewhere, but this seems to show features that are markedly different from others found within the north-western part of the Roman Empire."

Mr Emery said the silver coin too was a remarkable find in Winchester. It has been attributed to the Dobunni tribe of the Cotswolds and its discovery in the city indicates that the exchange of goods between Iron Age settlements.

The coin is one of only 15 recorded examples in Hampshire. The other nine were found at the Romano-British temple at Hayling Island.

"The coin provides an indication of the trading influence of a particular community," he added.

* In last week's Hampshire Chronicle, we showed a picture of a silver coin with a caption stating it dated from the reign of King Canute, in the 11th century. It was, in fact, a Roman coin struck between 330-337, found during earlier stages of the dig.