Highway workers found ancient roman cemetery, Including a grave filled with a strange substance, during a recent motorway construction project in England.
The announcement was made last week by National Highways, England's government-owned transport body. The unusual coffin was discovered along the A47, which connects the West Midlands city of Birmingham to Suffolk.
According to officials, the coffin, made of stone and hand-carved, “has not been touched by anyone since it was buried in Roman times more than 1,500 years ago.” Another 23 graves were found nearby, possibly indicating a family or community burial site.
The discovery was part of a “small Roman roadside cemetery”, discovered while highway workers were working on developing the highway.
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Construction workers in England recently found an ancient Roman tomb, officials said. (National Highways (UK))
National Highways said: “Part of the A47 between Wansford and Sutton near Peterborough follows the line of an ancient Roman road.
Authorities described the coffin, which weighs about 1,600 pounds and is 6 1/2 feet long, as a “rare find.”
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“Stone coffins are uncommon,” the statement explained. “Only about 50 have been discovered in all of Roman Britain.”
Archaeologists found that the coffin was very heavy because it was filled with a substance called white gypsum, a mineral used in making plaster. Experts place the coffin in the period between 43 AD and 410 AD, but they did not determine the exact year it was made, nor the reason for the presence of plaster inside the coffin.
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“It could be the coffin of a high-ranking person in the local community,” the National Highways Corporation noted.
One of the coffins contained white gypsum, which is used to make plaster. (National Highways (UK))
He added: “We do not know exactly why the bodies were wrapped in plaster. This may also indicate the burial of a wealthy person.”
The press release noted that archaeologists “meticulously” began the process of removing the bones from the plaster and that some fragments “bear the imprints of the cloth in which the body was buried.”
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Interestingly, the plaster also took the shape of the body itself. Experts found other strange objects in the surrounding graves, including what may have been a young woman's dowry.
The organization said, “One of the graves of a young woman contained a collection of valuables, all of which were placed at the feet of the body.” “This may be a young woman's dowry that will accompany her to the afterlife.
“The grave also contains glass and ceramic drinking vessels, perhaps for a final toast at the grave or a memorial remembrance.”
Depiction of ancient Romans in England around 77 AD (Istock)
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Ancient Roman finds are not uncommon in the UK.
Last fall, a 2,000-year-old road was erected, built shortly after the Roman invasion of Britain in 43 AD. It was unveiled in London.
Fox News Digital's Ashlyn Messier contributed to this report.
