The remains of a Roman aristocrat have been unearthed by archaeologists in northern England.
The skeleton of the unidentified woman, believed to be over 1,000 years old, was found last year in a lead coffin in a hidden cemetery in the city of Leeds.
The remains of 62 people have been unearthed at the previously unknown archaeological site near Garforth. Men, women and 23 children were buried at the site discovered by a team of archaeologists.
The dead are thought to include people from the late Roman era and early Saxon era, as burial customs from both eras have been found in the graves, according to a press release issued by the city council on Monday. of Leeds.
David Hunter, senior archaeologist at West Yorkshire Joint Services, said on Monday the find came after a commercial developer applied to the council for planning permission.
An archaeological study of the site – the exact location of which has not been revealed – made it possible to find the remains last spring.
“We definitely got more than we bargained for,” Hunter said. He said his team had reason to believe the site could be of archaeological interest, as they had found Roman and Anglo-Saxon structures nearby during previous excavations. “But we didn’t expect to find a cemetery of 62 there,” he added.
Evidence of burial practices found at the site could point to early Christian beliefs, as well as Saxon burial, the team said. They also found personal effects such as knives and pottery.
Describing the lead coffin as “very rare”, Hunter said: “The lead sheet is the lining of a larger wooden coffin, so it’s a very high status Roman body. »
The coffin also contained jewelry which reinforced the team’s suspicions of the person buried inside.
Archaeologists hope the 1,600-year-old cemetery could help them understand the important and largely undocumented transition between the fall of the Roman Empire around 400 and the establishment of the last Anglo-Saxon kingdoms.
The lead-lined coffin is considered “very rare” and believed to have contained a high-ranking woman. (West Yorkshire Joint Services/Leeds City Council)
After the Romans left Britain, West Yorkshire was in the kingdom of Elmet, which was located between the Wharfe and Don valleys, the York valley and the Pennines, according to the press release.
Even after the Romans left, many areas, including Elmet, continued to display elements of Roman culture – alongside that of the Anglo-Saxons. It lasted about 200 years.
Describing the excavations as “extraordinary”, Hunter said in the statement: “This has the potential to be a find of enormous significance to our understanding of the development of ancient Britain and Yorkshire.
“The presence of two communities using the same burial site is very unusual and whether or not their use of this cemetery overlaps will determine how significant the find is. »
The remains will undergo testing and analysis, including carbon dating, which the team hope will help establish precise timelines, as well as details of the individuals’ diet and ancestry. .
The excavation of the site was partly prompted by the fact that previous excavations in the nearby area had unearthed late Roman stone buildings and a small number of Anglo-Saxon style structures. The results have just been made public because the site had to be secured so that the first tests could be carried out.
On-site supervisor Kylie Buxton said in the statement: “It is every archaeologist’s dream to work at a ‘once in a lifetime’ site, and supervising these excavations is definitely a career high. »
Once analysis of the find is complete – a process that could take a year or two, according to Hunter – the lead coffin is expected to be put on display at the Leeds City Museum.
