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.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
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."
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Meghan DeMaria is a staff writer at TheWeek.com. She has previously worked for USA Today and Marie Claire.
-
Shakespeare not an absent spouse, study proposes
speed read A letter fragment suggests that the Shakespeares lived together all along, says scholar Matthew Steggle
-
New Mexico to investigate death of Gene Hackman, wife
speed read The Oscar-winning actor and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead in their home with no signs of foul play
-
Giant schnauzer wins top prize at Westminster show
Speed Read Monty won best in show at the 149th Westminster Kennel Club dog show
-
Beyoncé, Kendrick Lamar take top Grammys
Speed Read Beyoncé took home album of the year for 'Cowboy Carter' and Kendrick Lamar's diss track 'Not Like Us' won five awards
-
The Louvre is giving 'Mona Lisa' her own room
Speed Read The world's most-visited art museum is getting a major renovation
-
Honda and Nissan in merger talks
Speed Read The companies are currently Japan's second and third-biggest automakers, respectively
-
Taylor Swift wraps up record-shattering Eras tour
Speed Read The pop star finally ended her long-running tour in Vancouver, Canada
-
Drake claims illegal boosting, defamation
Speed Read The rapper accused Universal Music of boosting Kendrick Lamar's diss track and said UMG allowed him to be falsely accused of pedophilia