SDO9696 - A Roman coffin-burial from the Crown Buildings Site, Dorchester: with particular reference to the head of well-preserved hair. Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society

During construction work outside the west gate of Dorchester a lead coffin was discovered, surrounded by numerous unaccompanied inhumations from a Late Roman cemetery. The coffin contained the skeleton of a man packed in plaster and accompanied by a head and pigtail of hair. This burial and its surrounding cemetery are described in relation to similar examples at Dorchester and elsewhere which appear to be of Christian type. The scientific examination of the coffin and its contents is fully reported, the results being collated with the archaeological evidence in the discussion.