Archaeology & History

Ancient Roman sarcophagus found in London

By T.K. Randall
July 19, 2017 ·  2 comments

London has yielded many archaeological finds over the years. Image Credit: CC BY-SA 3.0 HeritageDaily The heavy stone sarcophagus, which was unearthed during an excavation at a construction site on Swan Street, was found several meters underground with its lid slid partly open, suggesting that its contents had been plundered by thieves at some point during the 18th century.

According to Gillian King, senior planner for archaeology at Southwark Council, whoever had been interred within the coffin must have been wealthy and of high social status.

Ancient roman sarcophagus found at London building site https://t.co/tpUw6ruHkC pic.twitter.com/5QmtmJsHXh

— BBC London Newsroom (@BBCLondonNews) July 18, 2017

"We always knew this site had the potential for a Roman cemetery, but we never knew there would be a sarcophagus," she said.

The contents of the coffin will now be tested and dated to learn more about who it belonged to.

Source: BBC News | Comments (2)

Tags: London, Roman