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A rare stone sarcophagus is among more than 20 Roman burials that have been uncovered by archaeologists working on a road improvement project between Wansford and Sutton.
The investigation, undertaken by Headland Archaeology, revealed 15 burials within an enclosed cemetery, and a further seven grave-cuts outside this ditched area. These 22 burials represent a diverse range of practices, including cist burials, cremations, and inhumations containing individuals who had been decapitated, while iron nails indicate that at least some of the graves had once contained wooden coffins.
Within the main cemetery area, the graves were found to be arranged around a central burial, which was contained within a large stone sarcophagus. Measuring over 2m in length and weighing an impressive 750kg, this had been carved from stone quarried around 50km (31 miles) from the site. Given the cost of its materials and manufacture, and the sarcophagus’ focal position within the cemetery, the project team believe that the individual buried within it would have been an important local figure, possibly a member of an eminent household.
Physical traces of this person were preserved by a cast of white gypsum, a type of plaster, which had been poured over the body inside the sarcophagus. Such burials represent an expensive rite that is usually associated with high-status individuals from prominent cities, such as York (see CA 402), and the discovery of an example in a rural location is therefore a rarity. Jessica Lowther, Headland Archaeology Community Archaeologist, commented: ‘[The burial] will allow us an insight into the life and death of this Romano- British community.’
After the sarcophagus was carefully transferred to a controlled environment, further analysis by York Archaeology conservator Morgan Creed and MOLA (Museum of London Archaeology) osteologist Don Walker revealed that the plaster cast also preserved the ghost of a funerary shroud, whose long-disintegrated folds could still be seen, together with the delicate imprint of the cloth’s warp and weft pattern. Within this, well-preserved human remains have been interpreted as those of an adult male.
Another noteworthy burial within the cemetery was that of a young woman aged between 16 and 20, who was accompanied by diverse grave goods including a pair of silver earrings, nine copper-alloy bracelets, and three rings, as well as hundreds of tiny beads. These had been placed at the woman’s feet, and it has been suggested that they could have been intended as a dowry before her untimely passing. A further grave, belonging to a child, also contained jewellery – including a similar pair of earrings – as well as a worked bone comb.
While the small scale of the cemetery is fairly common, the variety of burial types within it is much more unusual, particularly given that preliminary stratigraphic results have suggested that the site was only in use for a short period. The team hope that post-excavation analysis will help to establish a clearer chronology for the burial ground, as well as its place in the wider landscape.
Text: Rebecca Preedy / Photo: courtesy of Headland Archaeology
