Archaeologists in England have uncovered a 1,600-year-old cemetery with the remains of dozens of people, including an aristocrat from the late Roman period. They hope that the “once-in-a-lifetime” discovery will help reveal secrets from a significant period in the history of the British Isles with the transition to the Anglo-Saxon era.
Leeds City Council announced that archaeological rescue excavations carried out in anticipation of a possible commercial center development in the Greyforth area led to the discovery of the ancient cemetery last spring. However, the discovery was only revealed now so that the site could be investigated and secured.
The remains of 62 men, women and children, who lived in the area at the end of the Roman period and at the beginning of the early Anglo-Saxon period, were discovered at the site, while in some of the graves, burial costumes from both periods were identified.
The most significant discovery, which the archaeologists called a “once-in-a-lifetime find” and “extremely rare”, was of a lead casket containing the remains of an unidentified woman, who is believed to have been of high status in the late Roman period.
“It’s every archaeologist’s dream to work on a once-in-a-lifetime site, and oversee these digs. It’s definitely a career highlight for me,” said Kayleigh Buxton, the archaeologist who led the dig. “There is always a chance to find burial sites, but to discover such a significant cemetery, in a time of transition between cultures, is quite unbelievable.”
“This discovery has the potential to be hugely significant for our understanding of the development of early Britain and Yorkshire,” said David Hunter, West Yorkshire’s Chief Archaeologist.