- A lavish Roman coffin opened Wednesday
revealed the complete skeleton of a young woman that is expected to shed
new light on the lives of the Romans who once ruled London, BBC Online
reports.
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- Archeologists from The Museum of London
unearthed the lead coffin, sealed inside a stone sarcophagus, a few weeks
ago in a Roman cemetery in the heart of London, the BBC says Thursday.
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- The coffin's elaborate nature and burial
artifacts found inside it indicate the young woman, buried in the early
fourth century, was a member of the wealthy ruling class.
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- Museum Director Simon Thurley says the
scientists were astonished to discover leaves scattered on the coffin's
floor. According to Thurley, it's unclear how the leaves got there, though
it's possible they formed some kind of funeral garland.
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- "People last night were saying they
could be olive leaves, which would be rather extraordinary if that were
the case," Thurley tells the BBC. "Or perhaps it was some wonderful
romantic moment when a gust of wind one autumn blew the leaves across and
they tumbled into the coffin. We just don't know yet."
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- Thurley says the archaeologists were
most excited to discover the coffin had an inch of mud covering its bottom,
suggesting that it was waterlogged. Well-preserved organic matter and jewelry
may lie hidden within this mud layer, says Thurley.
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- Jenny Hall, the museum's Roman Curator,
tells the BBC, "What we found is very interesting and is unique to
this country. Amongst other things, we found a little jet box and a long
glass flask which probably would have held perfumed ointments."
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- Scientists hope analysis of the bones
themselves will reveal clues as to the diet of ancient aristocratic Romans.
DNA tests will be run on the skeleton to try to establish where the young
lady, believed to be in her early 20s, came from, BBC reports.
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- "This coffin without doubt belongs
to someone very important," says Thurley. "We know a huge amount
about Roman London, but very little about the very, very important people
who governed it."
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