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.
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."
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.
-
Pull over for these one-of-a-kind gas stationsThe Week Recommends Fill ’er up next to highland cows and a giant soda bottle
-
Trump tariff uncertainty casts a dark cloud over Black FridayIN THE SPOTLIGHT Retailers and shoppers alike are starting to reassess their seasonal prospects as the Trump administration’s efforts to upturn the global economy start hitting close to home
-
‘Chess’feature Imperial Theatre, New York City
-
Hungary’s Krasznahorkai wins Nobel for literatureSpeed Read László Krasznahorkai is the author of acclaimed novels like ‘The Melancholy of Resistance’ and ‘Satantango’
-
Primatologist Jane Goodall dies at 91Speed Read She rose to fame following her groundbreaking field research with chimpanzees
-
Florida erases rainbow crosswalk at Pulse nightclubSpeed Read The colorful crosswalk was outside the former LGBTQ nightclub where 49 people were killed in a 2016 shooting
-
Trump says Smithsonian too focused on slavery's illsSpeed Read The president would prefer the museum to highlight 'success,' 'brightness' and 'the future'
-
Trump to host Kennedy Honors for Kiss, StalloneSpeed Read Actor Sylvester Stallone and the glam-rock band Kiss were among those named as this year's inductees
-
White House seeks to bend Smithsonian to Trump's viewSpeed Read The Smithsonian Institution's 21 museums are under review to ensure their content aligns with the president's interpretation of American history
-
Charlamagne Tha God irks Trump with Epstein talkSpeed Read The radio host said the Jeffrey Epstein scandal could help 'traditional conservatives' take back the Republican Party
-
CBS cancels Colbert's 'Late Show'Speed Read 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' is ending next year
