VIDEO: Five skeletons uncovered during big dig near Roman Villa

Bournemouth Echo ^ | Thursday, July 3, 2014 | Gayle McDonald

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Archaeologists from Bournemouth have uncovered ancient burials during a dig near a Roman villa in north Dorset... It’s thought the remains, which date back to the mid-4th century, could belong to three generations of the same family who owned the villa.

The skeletons of two adult males, two adult females and one elderly female were discovered at the farm, which is currently being excavated as part of the Durotriges Big Dig project.

Miles Russell, senior lecturer in archaeology at Bournemouth University and one of the archaeologists leading the dig, said: “The discovery is of great significance as it is the only time where evidence of a villa and the villa’s occupants have been found in the same location in Britain... One of the big questions in south sest is whether the villas in the area were owned by Britons who have become Roman or owned by people from another part of the Empire who have come to exploit an under-developed rural area.”

...Paul Cheetham, senior lecturer in Archaeological Sciences and co-director of the project, added: “We are looking at the rural elite of late-Roman Britain, living through the economic collapse that took place during this period.

“These remains will shed light on the final stages of the golden age of Roman Britain.”

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Bournemouth Echo: REMAINS: The dig site at Winterborne Kingston

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