With support from the University of Richmond

History News Network

History News Network puts current events into historical perspective. Subscribe to our newsletter for new perspectives on the ways history continues to resonate in the present. Explore our archive of thousands of original op-eds and curated stories from around the web. Join us to learn more about the past, now.

Roman coffin find redraws map of ancient London

The discovery of an ancient Roman coffin in a part of London previously thought to have had no Roman settlements has forced a re-evaluation of the history of the city, experts said on Friday.

The headless skeleton in a limestone sarcophagus was found during excavations under St. Martin-in-the-Fields church on the eastern side of Trafalgar Square in central London.

Experts said the skeleton, whose head is believed to have been removed as a trophy by workmen building a sewer in the early 20th century, dates from around 410 AD, in the later stages of the Roman occupation of ancient Britain.
Read entire article at Reuters