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Summary

Romano-British burials within a possible mortuary enclosure, west of Ermine Street, Navenby

Full description

63247
During trial trenching, four burials and features relating to a possible mortuary enclosure were recorded at approximately SK9931 5728. The burial in Trench 2 was an extended inhumation aligned east/west. Only parts of the arm and leg bones were identifiable. The arms were folded, and a Romano-British vessel had been placed on the left side of the body. The burial in Trench 3 was an extended inhumation of an adult, aligned north/south with the head to the north. The arms were folded and the feet crossed. No grave goods were found, hence this burial is effectively undated. Two burials were recorded in Trench 8. The first grave was aligned north/south and contained the poorly preserved remains of a juvenile or young adult thought to have been interred in a wooden coffin - several iron nails were found around the body. The disarticulated head had been placed face down at the feet of the skeleton, while an accessory vessel had been placed where the head should have been. One sherd of pottery fron the grave fill may date to the early to mid-second century. The second burial was in a stone-lined grave, although the presence of one iron nail may indicate burial in a coffin. Only the feet and legs were visible. This second burial in Trench 8 had been cut by a pit feature, interpreted as a charnel pit, containing disarticulated human bones and fragments of a Romano-British vessel. Other features found comprise two north/south aligned gullies running parallel to each other, and a posthole. There is apparently a clear spatial relationship between the gullies, posthole and burials, although what exactly this relationship is has not been established. It is thought that the gullies may form part of a possible mortuary enclosure or other funerary monument, with the posthole being internal to this. All of the four recorded burials were found within the confines of the gullies. {1}{2}

<1> Pre-Construct Archaeology, April 2001, Land west of Ermine Street, Navenby, ESNA01 (Report). SLI6714.

<2> Pre-Construct Archaeology, April 2001, Land west of Ermine Street, Navenby, LCNCC 2001.66 (Archive). SLI6715.

Monument Types

• BURIAL (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• CEMETERY (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• COFFIN (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• GULLY (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• INHUMATION (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• MORTUARY ENCLOSURE (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• POST HOLE (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)

Associated Finds

• HUMAN REMAINS (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• NAIL (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• VESSEL (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• SHERD (Roman - 100 AD to 409 AD)

Associated Events

• Land west of Ermine Street, Navenby

Sources and further reading

Related records

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