Roman burial grounds found under road » Environment » 24dash.com

Burial sites and ancient relics of Roman Kent have been discovered under the A2, Gravesend, during routine archaeological surveys before work started on the Highways Agency £122 million Pepperhill to Cobham widening project.

A long history of settlement in the area has been discovered, dating back to hunter-gatherers 10,000 years ago, with a number of important finds. The relics were found by Oxford Archaeology, working for Skanska Construction in partnership with the Highways Agency.

Among the finds were three "high status" Roman burial sites containing cremations and some belongings such as highly decorated bronze wear, clay vessels, remains of gaming boards and fashion accessories.

Oxford Archaeologist Tim Allen said that the discoveries near to the Roman temples at Springhead, near Gravesend, now make the area one of the most important sites of Roman Britain.

"We knew from archaeological excavations along the line of the Channel Tunnel Rail Link, that there was a Roman enclosure on the route, but previous discoveries had simply suggested a rural farmstead.

"At first we found very little, but at the bottom of a pit we came across the metal handles of a wooden board, and later a set of 23 glass counters and two bone dice, suggesting that we had found a gaming board.

"These finds are rare, and mostly occur in graves, so we carefully took down the other half of the pit, and sure enough, it was full of grave offerings. These include the skeletal remains of half a pig, presumably offered as food for the afterlife.

The body had been cremated, and had probably been in a bag, as a large safety pin brooch was found next to the remains. It was clearly the burial of a very important person."

"We found two other valuable burial sites. One had fifteen pots, a bronze jug and a flat pan with a ram's head handle, as well as another folding board, more pig bones and another cremation with a brooch.

"One addition was a box of bronze make-up tools and a comb. The third grave contained only five pots, but the cremation was buried in a wooden box with a polished bronze mirror, several copper rings, a glass oil bottle and bronze tool, and a shallow bronze bowl. Enough of the skull survived for us to be confident that the person was a woman."

"The only other similar burial sites in Britain are found close to the largest and most important early Roman cities, such as at Colchester in Essex and St. Albans in Hertfordshire."

Highways Agency Project leader Philip Cheesmur said he enjoyed working with the archaeologists, in all weathers: "The archaeological survey is an important part of the project. We don't want to start work and potentially damage any relics of historical importance.

"The site has been treated with total respect and professionalism by the team from Oxford Archaeology. It was an educational experience and I was amazed that they only stopped work when the rain was hammering down. They were always the last to leave."

"I visited the burial pits several times and I was fascinated. It was very exciting to know that we had found something significant."

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