Monument record MDO37230 - Roman burial (7523) on Southdown Ridge, Weymouth

An inhumation burial in a coffin, one of three excavated at Southdown Ridge during archaeological work in 2008-2009 in advance of construction of the Weymouth Relief Road. The burial of woman wearing hobnailed shoes.

A grave located in the western part of the Southdown Ridge site, away from the Iron Age settlement where crouched burials were concentrated. The grave cut was 1.92m long, 0.90m wide and 0.46m deep, and was orientated NE-SW with the head at the northern end.

The grave was that of a woman of between 20 and 25 years of age. Examination of the bones revealed evidence of anaemia, possibly scurvy, and dental caries. Stains around the legs of the skeleton and 21 coffin nails indicated that she had been buried in a wooden coffin. Seventy six hobnails around the feet showed that the body was buried wearing nailed shoes. {1}

<1> Brown, L, Hayden, C and Score, D, 2014, 'Down to Weymouth town by Ridgeway'. Prehistoric, Roman and later sites along the Weymouth Relief Road, 193 (Monograph). SDO14013.

Record last edited

Jun 29 2015 11:09AM