Sponsored by
Fourth skeleton discovered on campus site
A FOURTH skeleton has been found by archaeologists during excavations on the site of York University's campus expansion at Heslington East.
The skeleton, thought to date from the Roman period, is being cleaned before it is sent for detailed analysis by an osteoarchaeologist to help to build up a picture of its origins.
It was found during a community dig involving staff and students from the University's Department of Archaeology, helped by 31 volunteers including residents, students from Archbishop Holgate's School, York and District Metal Detecting Club and members of the Greater York Community Archaeology Project.
In addition to the burial, the excavation area yielded further evidence for Roman land divisions and cobbled surfaces, all in the area surrounding the Roman masonry building that the Department of Archaeology excavated at Heslington East last year.
It is the fourth set of human remains discovered by archaeologists at Heslington East. So far, the university's own archaeological teams have discovered three skeletons in an area containing material from the Roman period.
Elsewhere on the site, a team from York Archaeological Trust unearthed an Iron Age skull which is thought to contain the oldest surviving brain material in Britain.
Cath Neal, fieldwork officer for the Heslington East archaeological project, said: "On first inspection it appeared to be an adult male skeleton and the nature of the pottery within the grave fill leads us to believe that it is Roman in date but it will be fully analysed and scientifically dated in due course."
Email to a friend
Print this page- Leeds lose Ward to Palace: Is there anyone they can afford now?
- Sheffield Wednesday leaving it late to hijack Leeds United over Ward
- As Snodgrass dithers over Leeds, Warnock throws a lifeline
- Ball is in Leeds United’s court over contract - Snodgrass
- Police turning blind eye to Asian voter fraud, says MP
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Yorkshire
Saturday 26 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 8 C to 21 C
Wind Speed: 17 mph
Wind direction: East
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 9 C to 22 C
Wind Speed: 13 mph
Wind direction: East
