The cemetery dates between 42 AD and 410 AD (Image: Headland Archaeology)
A team from the University of York uncovered a Roman-era cemetery in Cambridgeshire with a unique burial of a “high-status individual” at its centre.
The cemetery, dating to the Roman era between 42 AD and 410 AD, was uncovered in a dig ahead of construction work of the A47 Wansford to Sutton.
The central grave contained a stone coffin carved from a single block of limestone. Liquid gypsum is believed to have been poured over the deceased during the burial, to form a hard cast.
“For reasons archaeologists do not entirely understand, the Romans sometimes poured liquid gypsum – a mineral used in making various types of cement and plaster – over the clothed bodies of adults and children in lead or stone coffins before burying them,” archaeologists said.
Another grave found with silver earrings, copper alloy bracelets and rings (Image: Headland Archaeology)
The method preserves an individual’s imprint by creating a mould of them. This burial method is associated with urban centres and is rarely found in rural areas.
It is thought to indicate a high-status burial with analysis of gypsum casts from a previous excavation in York revealing traces of expensive oils and perfumes.
Archaeologists found impressions of the shroud the elite individual was buried in as well as a piece of the fabric preserved in fragments of gypsum. They also recovered a glass vessel, leather fragments, and pottery shreds in the surrounding grave.
Researchers from Headland Archaeology suspect the glass vessel may have once held a toast to the deceased before it was placed in the grave.
Scholars say such a burial would have come at a high cost. The stone coffin, according to researchers, was not only beautifully carved but also made from stone quarried around 50km away.
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These factors coupled with the central position of the burial within the cemetery points to an important person, perhaps the head of a prominent family.
Excavations also revealed more high-status graves within the cemetery, including a 16-year-old girl, with burials containing jewellery and other precious items.
Buried with her was her dowry: A pair of silver earrings, nine copper alloy bracelets, three copper alloy rings, and a silver band and oval plate, thought to be the shank and bezel of a signet ring.
These specialist excavations were carried out by conservator Morgan Creed from York Archaeology and Osteologist Don Walker from Museum of London Archaeology over two full days.