Archaeologists unearth remarkably intact Roman tombstone under parking lot in England
British parking lots are certainly fertile grounds for incredible discoveries.
Archaeologists found a preserved Roman tombstone at the former site of Cirencester's Bridges Garage in England. The tombstone dates to between the first and third centuries C.E. and is from the Roman town of Corinium.
The inscription on the tombstone indicates that it belonged to a woman named Bodica, who apparently died when she was 27. The stone also included blank lines that may have been intended for a spouse or other family member. The bodies of three children were also found nearby, suggesting the tombstone was part of a family burial plot. A skull was also found beneath the tombstone, and archaeologists believe it may be the remains of Bodica herself.
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Neil Holbrook of Cotswold Archaeology told BBC News that the find was especially noteworthy given its location." When they built the garage in the 1960s, they scraped across the top of the stone to put a beam in," Holbrook said. "If they'd gone a couple of inches lower, they'd have smashed it to smithereens."
