86 Roman era skeletons discovered under a North Wales college

Some of the skeletons found in an ancient graveyard on Anglesey date back to the 4th Century, experts have said.

Tests showed some of the people buried up to 1,600 years ago were from Scandinavia
and the Mediterranean [Credit: Archaeology Wales]

Wales Archaeology, which led the college dig, found the remains of 34 individuals. Some had been buried in stone-lined coffins.

Tests showed some of the people buried up to 1,600 years ago were from Scandinavia and the Mediterranean.

Some were from the Welsh borders and four were western Britons, said project manager Dr Irene Garcia Rovira.

Quernstone surface revealed during the excavations of the western side
of the early medieval cemetery [Credit: Archaeology Wales]

The findings have been made public following digs carried out during work on the Llangefni link road in 2016 and Coleg Menai's nearby campus the year after.

Analysis has shown some of those buried did not eat seafood despite being near to the coast. The skeletons included a number of females aged between 18 and 25, perhaps suggesting the dangers of child birth at the time.

The male remains showed they lived up to the age of 45 which was a "reasonable lifespan" for the late Roman and early Medieval period.

The archaeological dig at Coleg Menai Pencraig Campus
[Credit: Archaeology Wales]

Dr Rovira said the site was important because skeletons do not usually survive in the area's acidic soil.

In 2016, Brython Archaeology said its dig on the link road revealed "cist" graves which each held several bodies, alongside jewellery and French pottery.

Source: BBC News Website [August 02, 2019]