Mystery of ancient Roman sarcophagus containing ‘body of mum’ found buried beneath London
An ancient Roman sarcophagus has been excavated from a building site in London.
The 1,600-year-old coffin, which was discovered near Borough Market in central London, is thought to contain the remains of a mother after the bones of a baby were found nearby, experts said.
Archaeologists lifted the lid of the stone coffin on Tuesday and found small bones and a broken Roman bracelet in the surrounding soil.
The team behind the discovery are not certain the infant was buried with the coffin, however, as it appears to have been opened by grave robbers in an area that was used by the Romans as a burial ground.
Gillian King, senior planner for archaeology at Southwark council, said a large crack on the lid was probably the work of thieves.
‘It’s been broken into two pieces, probably when robbers broke into it during the post-medieval period,’ she said.
‘We hope that they will have left the things that were of small value to them but great value to us as archaeologists.
‘We always knew this site had the potential for a Roman cemetery, but we never knew there would be a sarcophagus.’
Currently the sarcophagus is full of debris so archaeologists do not know exactly what is inside.
Experts at the Museum of London will start investigating it in the coming weeks.
The coffin was found on Swan Street last month after the council told developers to pay for an archaeological dig on the site.
It was found several metres underground with its lid slid open.
The council had asked developers to check the area for ancient finds before it went ahead with building new flats because of the site’s proximity to two large Roman roads.
Strict rules on Roman burials, which had to be outside of town walls, meant the location was a prime spot for historical finds.
Archaeologists discovered the coffin six months into the dig as they were due to finish their search.
They believe it was the coffin of a high status inhabitant of Roman London, but they will not know for sure until the bones and soil inside are tested and dated.
The sarcophagus will now be taken to the Museum of London’s archive in Hackney for analysis.
Cllr Peter John, the Leader of Southwark Council, said: ‘This is a remarkable and exciting find. In Southwark we take our duty as custodians of the borough’s rich, varied and important archaeological heritage very seriously.
‘This Roman sarcophagus is the find of a lifetime and a credit to the council’s commitment to ensuring that the borough’s history is properly conserved.’
ROMAN SARCOPHAGUS
The 1,600-year-old coffin, which was discovered near Borough Market in central London, is thought to contain the remains of a mother after the bones of a baby were found nearby, experts said.
The team behind the discovery are not certain the infant was buried with the coffin, however, as it appears to have been opened by grave robbers in an area that was used by the Romans as a burial ground.
They believe it was the coffin of a high status inhabitant of Roman London, but they will not know for sure until the bones and soil inside are tested and dated.
