A second Roman sarcophagus in Newcastle

From the Shields Gazette

ARCHAEOLOGISTS have lifted the lid on a second coffin discovered at a dig site in Newcastle.

Two Roman stone sarcophagi were uncovered on land earmarked for development.

The
1,800-year-old sandstone coffins are the first such find – and arguably
the most impressive – in the area for more than 100 years.

They are thought to have been used to bury members of a rich and powerful family from the nearby fort of Pons Aelius.

One tomb contained the poorly-preserved skeleton of a child and the second sarcophagus held the remains of a female.

They have been removed from the site by experts from Durham University.

Other
discoveries in Forth Street include cremation urns, a cobbled Roman
road and a medieval well, the remains of the foundations of Roman shops
and workers’ homes, and the remains of flint tools from Stone Age
hunter-gatherers.

All the finds from the site will eventually go
to the new Great North Museum in Newcastle, where the sarcophagi will
be preserved for the public to see.