0:00:02 > 0:00:04Right across Britain,
0:00:04 > 0:00:08archaeologists are unearthing the relics of ancient lives.
0:00:08 > 0:00:13But so much of modern archaeology is what happens after excavation.
0:00:15 > 0:00:19Today, forensic analysis and cutting-edge science,
0:00:19 > 0:00:21as well as brand-new finds,
0:00:21 > 0:00:23are overturning what we once thought
0:00:23 > 0:00:26about entire eras of our ancient history.
0:00:28 > 0:00:30I'm Julian Richards, and over the years
0:00:30 > 0:00:32I've been lucky enough
0:00:32 > 0:00:35to have taken part in some of our most important digs.
0:00:35 > 0:00:38You've not! A lead coffin?
0:00:41 > 0:00:43Now I'm going back to some of my favourites
0:00:43 > 0:00:49to discover the very latest stories of our most ancient ancestors.
0:01:06 > 0:01:09No period of Britain's deep history
0:01:09 > 0:01:12has left a greater legacy than the centuries of Roman rule.
0:01:14 > 0:01:17Right from the moment of their violent invasion,
0:01:17 > 0:01:20the Romans left their mark on this island,
0:01:20 > 0:01:21shaping who we are today.
0:01:23 > 0:01:27Even giving us our name - Britannia.
0:01:29 > 0:01:31What often doesn't spring to mind
0:01:31 > 0:01:34is late-Roman Britain, the fourth century AD,
0:01:34 > 0:01:36when Rome had started to decline,
0:01:36 > 0:01:40the world's greatest empire heading for extinction.
0:01:40 > 0:01:43Now, as an archaeologist, it's these hidden bits of history
0:01:43 > 0:01:46that really fascinate me, and the questions that they raise -
0:01:46 > 0:01:50what was life like in the cities of Roman Britain
0:01:50 > 0:01:52on the edge of a dying empire?
0:01:55 > 0:01:59More than a decade ago, I took part in two remarkable discoveries
0:01:59 > 0:02:02which offered the chance to find out more.
0:02:04 > 0:02:08In 1998, I helped reveal a burial from Roman Winchester -
0:02:08 > 0:02:11a local man who died early in the 4th century AD.
0:02:15 > 0:02:17Now, over a decade later,
0:02:17 > 0:02:21new science has challenged long-held assumptions,
0:02:21 > 0:02:24changing our understanding of the world he lived in.
0:02:25 > 0:02:28I've looked at a lot of decapitated burials,
0:02:28 > 0:02:29and it's much more common
0:02:29 > 0:02:32to find individuals where they've had their head chopped off.
0:02:35 > 0:02:39Then, just a year later, a fantastically rich burial
0:02:39 > 0:02:43of an aristocratic woman from 4th-century London.
0:02:44 > 0:02:47Back in 1999, she seemed to be foreign,
0:02:47 > 0:02:50a holder of unusual new beliefs.
0:02:51 > 0:02:55But it's only now that new studies and a decade of research
0:02:55 > 0:02:59have finally solved the mystery of just who she was.
0:02:59 > 0:03:02It was just so exciting, I was...I was dancing around the room,
0:03:02 > 0:03:05much to the amusement of the builders who were on the opposite roof.
0:03:08 > 0:03:09Together, these two burials
0:03:09 > 0:03:12have opened up windows into the lives and beliefs
0:03:12 > 0:03:15of people who were living through some turbulent times.
0:03:15 > 0:03:17It was an era of political instability
0:03:17 > 0:03:21where usurpers and rebels vied for power.
0:03:21 > 0:03:23And also, a time of spiritual uncertainty
0:03:23 > 0:03:26where Christianity - a new religion from the East -
0:03:26 > 0:03:29challenged traditional Roman values.
0:03:29 > 0:03:31So I'm returning to these two finds
0:03:31 > 0:03:33to see what science and archaeology have revealed
0:03:33 > 0:03:35in the dozen years since they were unearthed.
0:03:47 > 0:03:51By the 4th century, Roman influence had spread throughout Britain.
0:03:52 > 0:03:54Roads had brought prosperity,
0:03:54 > 0:03:57linking the countryside with its abundance of food
0:03:57 > 0:03:59to the new towns and cities.
0:04:02 > 0:04:06I've always been aware of one of those Roman towns in particular -
0:04:06 > 0:04:07Winchester.
0:04:07 > 0:04:09It's a civitas, or regional capital,
0:04:09 > 0:04:13and one of the largest towns in Roman Britain.
0:04:13 > 0:04:16So when, in 1998, I heard about excavation starting up
0:04:16 > 0:04:19at the Eagle Hotel just to the north of the city,
0:04:19 > 0:04:21I was very keen to get involved.
0:04:25 > 0:04:28And now, more than a decade on from that dig,
0:04:28 > 0:04:29I'm heading back to the city
0:04:29 > 0:04:31to find out how our understanding
0:04:31 > 0:04:34of 4th century Roman Winchester has moved on.
0:04:40 > 0:04:43This is where we were digging all those years ago,
0:04:43 > 0:04:46where we found our Winchester man.
0:04:46 > 0:04:48The weather's certainly nicer than it was then
0:04:48 > 0:04:50because it hailed, it snowed.
0:04:50 > 0:04:52On top of that, the back wall of the hotel
0:04:52 > 0:04:54threatened to fall into the site.
0:04:54 > 0:04:56It was...quite challenging.
0:04:56 > 0:04:59But I do remember being down one of the graves and getting very excited
0:04:59 > 0:05:01about finding some Roman coffin nails,
0:05:01 > 0:05:03when suddenly, we heard this shout
0:05:03 > 0:05:05from over the other side of the site.
0:05:06 > 0:05:11Let me take you back 15 years to 1998.
0:05:11 > 0:05:15- Oh, wow! - You've not!
0:05:15 > 0:05:17A lead coffin!
0:05:17 > 0:05:20Oh, you're joking!
0:05:20 > 0:05:22'That shout was to mark the discovery
0:05:22 > 0:05:24'of something very special.' Oh!
0:05:31 > 0:05:36Just uncovering...what appears to be a lead coffin.
0:05:36 > 0:05:39Just removing...
0:05:39 > 0:05:43some of the stained chalk from around the edges.
0:05:43 > 0:05:47- Does this mean you're working over the weekend?!- Guess so!
0:05:47 > 0:05:52This is a really great discovery, so I'm excited about it, yeah!
0:05:56 > 0:05:58Despite well over a century of excavations,
0:05:58 > 0:06:03only one lead coffin had previously been found in Roman Winchester.
0:06:07 > 0:06:09But with a grave this deep,
0:06:09 > 0:06:11we needed something bigger than our trowels.
0:06:16 > 0:06:19After the JCB had done the heavy work,
0:06:19 > 0:06:21we finally exposed the whole coffin.
0:06:25 > 0:06:29It was aligned north-south, a Romano-British pagan tradition.
0:06:35 > 0:06:38And there, in the gloom, was the rounded shape of a skull.
0:06:46 > 0:06:49A week after it was first discovered,
0:06:49 > 0:06:52the heavy coffin was finally lifted from its chalky resting place.
0:07:04 > 0:07:07Now this is the moment of truth.
0:07:07 > 0:07:11We peeked through the lid so we know there are SOME bones.
0:07:11 > 0:07:16We still don't know if there's a whole skeleton. We'll find out!
0:07:16 > 0:07:19- OK. You ready?- ALL: Ready! - I've got it!
0:07:21 > 0:07:23Oh, bloody hell!
0:07:23 > 0:07:26LAUGHTER
0:07:34 > 0:07:37And there he was, as daylight spilled into the coffin
0:07:37 > 0:07:40for the first time since the lid was closed,
0:07:40 > 0:07:42over 1,600 years ago.
0:07:47 > 0:07:52The fragile bones entombed in lead were those of a well-built man.
0:07:57 > 0:07:59But then we came across something else.
0:08:01 > 0:08:05Halfway down where the Roman's hand had lain...
0:08:05 > 0:08:06was a coin.
0:08:07 > 0:08:10Hopefully, eventually, we'll be able to identify that.
0:08:18 > 0:08:20Nearly 15 years after the dig,
0:08:20 > 0:08:25the remains of our man are now in the care of Winchester City Council.
0:08:25 > 0:08:29This is our man from Winchester.
0:08:31 > 0:08:35See, I remember the state of his bones when we found him.
0:08:35 > 0:08:39Because of the lead coffin, they were peculiarly eroded -
0:08:39 > 0:08:41all the surfaces were very flaky.
0:08:41 > 0:08:43And of course, when we first opened that coffin,
0:08:43 > 0:08:46we were all completely covered up in masks and suits
0:08:46 > 0:08:47because we weren't sure
0:08:47 > 0:08:50what the effect of all that lead was going to be,
0:08:50 > 0:08:51because lead's very toxic,
0:08:51 > 0:08:53but we now know that it's quite safe,
0:08:53 > 0:08:54although I'm still wearing gloves
0:08:54 > 0:08:58because that's a good idea when handling human bones anyway.
0:08:58 > 0:09:03So these are some of his long bones that are better preserved.
0:09:04 > 0:09:08But they've all got this peculiar flaky surface on them.
0:09:13 > 0:09:17Rather strange bone growth with them as well.
0:09:18 > 0:09:24All these sort of...they remind me of just how tall this chap was.
0:09:24 > 0:09:29Oh, right, here's the...here's one of the thigh bones, a femur.
0:09:30 > 0:09:33It's terrible condition, but it's big.
0:09:33 > 0:09:34It's very chunky.
0:09:34 > 0:09:36And actually putting that together,
0:09:36 > 0:09:39that was what suggested that he was particularly tall,
0:09:39 > 0:09:42he was about 5 foot 9", taller than me,
0:09:42 > 0:09:45and tall for the time as well.
0:09:45 > 0:09:48So somebody that gave us the impression as soon as we found him
0:09:48 > 0:09:51that he was strong, chunky.
0:09:51 > 0:09:53In some ways, typically British.
0:09:53 > 0:09:56The Britons were famed for their strength and their height.
0:09:56 > 0:09:59They made good slaves.
0:09:59 > 0:10:01What's this? Box three. Ah!
0:10:03 > 0:10:06OK. This is the skull.
0:10:08 > 0:10:09Right.
0:10:13 > 0:10:15Oh, yes.
0:10:15 > 0:10:20That's...that's a very male skull - strong jaw,
0:10:20 > 0:10:23prominent ridges over his brows,
0:10:23 > 0:10:25big muscle attachments to the back,
0:10:25 > 0:10:28a strong neck, a very powerful-looking man.
0:10:31 > 0:10:35And of course, what we found out since then by looking at his teeth
0:10:35 > 0:10:38is that he actually came from the Winchester area.
0:10:38 > 0:10:39He was born on the chalk.
0:10:39 > 0:10:43He was a bit of a Roman townie really.
0:10:43 > 0:10:44A very British Roman.
0:10:46 > 0:10:50- It IS complete, isn't it?- Yes. - Isn't that nice?!
0:10:50 > 0:10:54'Back in 1998, his well-preserved skull provided a good foundation
0:10:54 > 0:10:56'for forensic artist Richard Neave.'
0:10:56 > 0:10:59Now, out you come, young man!
0:11:01 > 0:11:06Now, that is a big, powerful skull, isn't it? My goodness!
0:11:06 > 0:11:09A big mastoid process.
0:11:09 > 0:11:11Quite a prominent chin.
0:11:11 > 0:11:13Not particularly full lips.
0:11:13 > 0:11:17Not a very deep upper lip.
0:11:17 > 0:11:21'It was up to medical artist Denise Smith to rebuild every detail
0:11:21 > 0:11:22'of our man's face.'
0:11:25 > 0:11:27He's going to have quite a wide nose,
0:11:27 > 0:11:29and...
0:11:30 > 0:11:33..he may have a slightly heavier brow
0:11:33 > 0:11:36making his eyes look more deep set.
0:11:36 > 0:11:43But...er...he's going to have quite a strong, powerful face.
0:11:43 > 0:11:49The reconstruction brought the dig team face-to-face with our Roman.
0:11:52 > 0:11:57A man who was local, British and physically very strong.
0:12:00 > 0:12:02And here's another strong, powerful face
0:12:02 > 0:12:04that can tell us something about our man -
0:12:04 > 0:12:08the impress on the coin that we found in the coffin.
0:12:08 > 0:12:11Now, coins are great clues because not only can they tell us
0:12:11 > 0:12:15about trade and about the spread of Roman influence,
0:12:15 > 0:12:18but above all, they make great dating evidence.
0:12:22 > 0:12:26What we had was a coin from the reign of Emperor Constantine,
0:12:26 > 0:12:29issued around 313 AD.
0:12:34 > 0:12:39What this tells us is that he had to have been buried after 313 AD,
0:12:39 > 0:12:42the year that the coin was minted.
0:12:42 > 0:12:44But it could have been in circulation in the markets
0:12:44 > 0:12:47of Winchester for years before it ended up in the coffin.
0:12:47 > 0:12:50The coin though provides us with more than just a date,
0:12:50 > 0:12:54it marks a landmark, because the year before it was minted,
0:12:54 > 0:12:57Emperor Constantine had converted to Christianity,
0:12:57 > 0:13:01paving the way for this to become the official religion of the empire.
0:13:01 > 0:13:05But ironically, our man certainly wasn't a Christian.
0:13:05 > 0:13:08Not only was he buried in a North-South direction,
0:13:08 > 0:13:10but this was in his hand.
0:13:10 > 0:13:14The fare to pay the ferryman to take his soul across the River Styx
0:13:14 > 0:13:15and into the afterlife.
0:13:15 > 0:13:21All this points to good, traditional Romano-British paganism.
0:13:24 > 0:13:284th century Winchester was prosperous.
0:13:28 > 0:13:32Our man would have walked its neatly laid-out streets,
0:13:32 > 0:13:33worshipped at its temples,
0:13:33 > 0:13:37and perhaps, enjoyed the pleasures of its public baths.
0:13:43 > 0:13:45The man in the lead coffin tells us that by this time,
0:13:45 > 0:13:48the locals had become fully Romanised.
0:13:48 > 0:13:51A Briton here could become as wealthy and successful
0:13:51 > 0:13:54as anyone from the empire.
0:13:54 > 0:13:57but things start to get really interesting when we look
0:13:57 > 0:14:00at other burials from the cemeteries around our Winchester man.
0:14:01 > 0:14:07All Roman cities by law buried their dead outside their walls.
0:14:08 > 0:14:11Winchester had several burial areas.
0:14:11 > 0:14:15The largest of all lay to the north of the city
0:14:15 > 0:14:17along a road leading to Cirencester.
0:14:18 > 0:14:21I'm now right in the middle of that huge cemetery.
0:14:21 > 0:14:24Our man was found in the road over there.
0:14:24 > 0:14:26And the street at the top in medieval times,
0:14:26 > 0:14:29was known as Bone Street, because every time you stuck a spade
0:14:29 > 0:14:32in the ground, you would unearth the remains of some poor soul.
0:14:34 > 0:14:40Back in 1998, I paid a visit to Steve Teague at the Historic Research Centre
0:14:40 > 0:14:44to discover the extent of Winchester's Roman cemeteries.
0:14:44 > 0:14:46This is what we currently understand
0:14:46 > 0:14:48about the layout of the internal Street within the town.
0:14:48 > 0:14:51- Can we have a more detailed look at the town?- All right.
0:14:53 > 0:14:55So where are we digging? Somewhere around here?
0:14:55 > 0:15:01- Somewhere over here, yes.- Oh, so it's just outside one of the town gates?
0:15:01 > 0:15:04- Outside the defences.- Yes. - Just outside the city.
0:15:04 > 0:15:07How many burials have you excavated in total, then?
0:15:07 > 0:15:10In total, excavated and also and observed,
0:15:10 > 0:15:13we are talking about around 1,000 burials.
0:15:15 > 0:15:20- So this is one big burial ground here?- Yeah.- Just outside the city.
0:15:20 > 0:15:22- And that's the area that we were digging in.- Yes.
0:15:22 > 0:15:27- That had about how many burials in? Altogether?- It had 35.- 35 burials?
0:15:27 > 0:15:28Just within that area!
0:15:34 > 0:15:38Excavations going right back to Victorian times have revealed
0:15:38 > 0:15:40dazzling arrays of grave goods.
0:15:42 > 0:15:44Today, the content of hundreds of Roman burials
0:15:44 > 0:15:48are stored in Winchester City Council's museums, which hold
0:15:48 > 0:15:53arguably the richest 4th-century collection in the whole of Britain.
0:15:53 > 0:15:56These are just some of the wonderful objects that have been found
0:15:56 > 0:15:58in this burial ground.
0:15:58 > 0:16:02There is everything here, from whole pots, fragile glass vessels,
0:16:02 > 0:16:08to all of these objects of bronze, shale, jet. Absolutely wonderful.
0:16:08 > 0:16:12Things like this, a beautiful bronze strap end
0:16:12 > 0:16:14with a buckle at the end of it.
0:16:14 > 0:16:17This, I think is wonderful.
0:16:17 > 0:16:20A beautiful, very delicate shale bracelet.
0:16:20 > 0:16:23It is so shiny you can hardly believe
0:16:23 > 0:16:26that has been in the ground for over 1,600 years.
0:16:29 > 0:16:33And these, crossbow brooches. This is so heavy.
0:16:33 > 0:16:35So beautifully decorated,
0:16:35 > 0:16:37it has even got an inscription around the side of it.
0:16:37 > 0:16:41There is more of these been found in the cemetery
0:16:41 > 0:16:43than in any other cemetery in Britain.
0:16:43 > 0:16:49Now, a lot of these objects were excavated in the 1960s and 1970s.
0:16:49 > 0:16:51And the archaeologist who studied them
0:16:51 > 0:16:54came up with quite a controversial theory.
0:16:54 > 0:16:58What he said was that a lot of these objects appeared to have been made abroad.
0:16:58 > 0:17:01And that the way that they were placed in the grave -
0:17:01 > 0:17:06the burial rite - looks like graves from the Roman province of Pannonia.
0:17:06 > 0:17:08That's modern-day Hungary.
0:17:08 > 0:17:11So what was being suggested was that provincial Winchester
0:17:11 > 0:17:13was full of foreigners.
0:17:16 > 0:17:18But just because we have got lots to go on,
0:17:18 > 0:17:21it doesn't mean that we can't get it wrong.
0:17:21 > 0:17:24Because what we thought we knew about many of the graves
0:17:24 > 0:17:28a decade ago, has now completely changed.
0:17:31 > 0:17:35In 2009, archaeologist Hella Eckardt completed
0:17:35 > 0:17:40the largest isotope analysis of Roman Britain ever conducted.
0:17:42 > 0:17:46By studying chemicals within the enamel of human teeth,
0:17:46 > 0:17:49it is possible to identify where ancient people grew up.
0:17:57 > 0:18:03Taking 58 unusual Winchester graves, the aim here wasn't just to discover
0:18:03 > 0:18:09where individuals came from, but to sample an entire population.
0:18:09 > 0:18:11Here is an example of a girl's grave,
0:18:11 > 0:18:14where we can see that some of the grave goods are unusual.
0:18:14 > 0:18:20So she had some very fancy beads, some of which are exotic.
0:18:20 > 0:18:23Like these ones, these golden glass beads which are quite rare
0:18:23 > 0:18:27and are often thought to be indicative of an incomer.
0:18:27 > 0:18:29You also have these beautiful bracelets.
0:18:29 > 0:18:32And this girl was actually wearing these bracelets in death
0:18:32 > 0:18:34on her left arm,
0:18:34 > 0:18:38so she had multiple bronze, iron and shale bracelets on her left arm.
0:18:38 > 0:18:41And again, that is not a local burial rite.
0:18:41 > 0:18:45- She must have been tiny, because these are really small bracelets.- Yes, absolutely.
0:18:45 > 0:18:48I think she was only five or six years old when she died.
0:18:48 > 0:18:51And that's unusual, is it? To find a whole array of bracelets?
0:18:51 > 0:18:54It would be relatively unusual in Britain, it would be more
0:18:54 > 0:18:55common in Pannonia.
0:18:55 > 0:18:58And that is certainly what the early excavators picked up on.
0:18:58 > 0:19:01And she also had this headband.
0:19:01 > 0:19:04The little bronze objects fitted onto a leather band
0:19:04 > 0:19:07and you can still see on her skull, where it is discoloured,
0:19:07 > 0:19:09that this is what she was wearing in death.
0:19:09 > 0:19:13And again, that is not a very common thing to have.
0:19:13 > 0:19:18So those are all archaeological indicators of an exotic origin.
0:19:18 > 0:19:20So what does the science say?
0:19:20 > 0:19:22What we did is, we looked at her teeth,
0:19:22 > 0:19:25to try and get an isotopic signature.
0:19:25 > 0:19:27What that allows you to do,
0:19:27 > 0:19:30you then compare the signature of the individual
0:19:30 > 0:19:32to what we define as the local range.
0:19:32 > 0:19:35So everybody in the box, isotopically, would be local.
0:19:35 > 0:19:40So you might expect, given that she has these exotic grave goods,
0:19:40 > 0:19:42that she would come from somewhere outside the box,
0:19:42 > 0:19:46but in fact, here she is, right in the middle of the box.
0:19:46 > 0:19:48- So, the science says she's local? - It does.
0:19:48 > 0:19:53So our exotic girl actually, isotopically, looks local.
0:19:53 > 0:19:57And then, if we look at the other examples that we have studied,
0:19:57 > 0:20:00we have some people who earlier excavators thought were local
0:20:00 > 0:20:04and they come from a climate that is more continental and colder,
0:20:04 > 0:20:06so they are not local.
0:20:06 > 0:20:09And we have other people who earlier excavators thought
0:20:09 > 0:20:12were from Pannonia, but they are not, they are from all over the place.
0:20:12 > 0:20:16So you have got some from colder climates, could be Pannonian,
0:20:16 > 0:20:18but also some which are much warmer.
0:20:18 > 0:20:20And you have two that could be local.
0:20:23 > 0:20:27Science has now revealed that many of those old archaeological assumptions
0:20:27 > 0:20:29about the grave goods are wrong.
0:20:30 > 0:20:34It seems that early 4th-century Roman Winchester was far more
0:20:34 > 0:20:39culturally complex than anyone had previously thought.
0:20:39 > 0:20:42Is this just a question of getting the interpretation
0:20:42 > 0:20:46- of the objects wrong? - No, I think that this is...
0:20:46 > 0:20:49The relationship between your biological origin
0:20:49 > 0:20:51and your social origin is a bit more complicated.
0:20:51 > 0:20:54Perhaps she was a second-generation immigrant.
0:20:54 > 0:20:57Perhaps this girl was buried by one parent, or two parents,
0:20:57 > 0:20:59who were from somewhere else.
0:20:59 > 0:21:03And they still wanted to follow certain rites, but they were able
0:21:03 > 0:21:06to buy some objects locally, where they were now living.
0:21:06 > 0:21:09They have settled in Winchester.
0:21:09 > 0:21:13And more generally, it just tells us that people do different things.
0:21:13 > 0:21:17Some people blend in, some people stick to the ideas of their homeland.
0:21:17 > 0:21:20So do you get an idea of an overall figure here,
0:21:20 > 0:21:23how many incomers were there to Winchester at this time?
0:21:23 > 0:21:27It's difficult to be sure, but our figures suggest that perhaps
0:21:27 > 0:21:32up to 30% of people who we sampled were not local to Winchester.
0:21:33 > 0:21:38So, Roman Winchester was a very diverse city with a population
0:21:38 > 0:21:40drawn from all over the Empire.
0:21:40 > 0:21:44A place where traders, soldiers, and perhaps even slaves
0:21:44 > 0:21:50could settle, marry, and raise their families in this, their new home.
0:21:53 > 0:21:58In 1998, we knew the burials we were excavating were Roman, but there was
0:21:58 > 0:22:02always a discussion about where exactly these people had come from.
0:22:05 > 0:22:06And now we know.
0:22:06 > 0:22:09Because science has shown Roman Winchester to be an incredible
0:22:09 > 0:22:11cultural melting pot.
0:22:11 > 0:22:14And in the middle of it all, our man.
0:22:14 > 0:22:17A man whose story seems quite simple and yet successful.
0:22:17 > 0:22:21Perhaps a Romano Brit who has done well for himself.
0:22:21 > 0:22:25Buried early in the fourth century in an expensive Roman coffin.
0:22:28 > 0:22:29Back in 1998, though,
0:22:29 > 0:22:34our excavation didn't just find the remains of only one man.
0:22:35 > 0:22:39Just yards from the lead coffin, we unearthed other burials.
0:22:39 > 0:22:43And they were very strange indeed.
0:22:43 > 0:22:46Unlike our man, these people had been buried in very different ways
0:22:46 > 0:22:51and perhaps has also ended their lives in different ways, too.
0:22:53 > 0:22:56First, there were the remains of a child,
0:22:56 > 0:22:59lying in a very unusual position.
0:22:59 > 0:23:01You can tell this child is lying face down
0:23:01 > 0:23:03because that's the back of the skull
0:23:03 > 0:23:07and you can see the jaw coming down here, and the teeth.
0:23:07 > 0:23:09So we know the face is down.
0:23:09 > 0:23:13And also, if you look here, there is the backbone, and the arm bones.
0:23:13 > 0:23:15But that is the shoulder blade there.
0:23:15 > 0:23:20And you can see that the ribs are going underneath the shoulder blade.
0:23:20 > 0:23:22So that must be the child's back.
0:23:23 > 0:23:27But perhaps the oddest thing was the grave of a man whose head
0:23:27 > 0:23:30had been removed and placed by his knees.
0:23:34 > 0:23:37Archaeologists have been finding decapitated Roman skeletons
0:23:37 > 0:23:40for years and the thinking had been
0:23:40 > 0:23:42that they had their heads removed
0:23:42 > 0:23:45after death as part of some murky ritual.
0:23:47 > 0:23:51But new research is suggesting that things might not quite be what they seem.
0:23:53 > 0:23:57Across town, osteo-archaeology is getting to grips with these strange
0:23:57 > 0:24:03decapitation burials found not only in Winchester, but all over Britain.
0:24:04 > 0:24:07When I was digging at the Eagle Hotel, Katie,
0:24:07 > 0:24:09I remember digging a very odd burial.
0:24:09 > 0:24:13- Somebody with their head by their knees.- Yeah.
0:24:13 > 0:24:16It's quite a common minority burial rite in Roman Britain,
0:24:16 > 0:24:19they are called decapitated burials,
0:24:19 > 0:24:20or decapitation burials.
0:24:20 > 0:24:23Where you have the head not in the correct anatomical position,
0:24:23 > 0:24:27but it has been placed elsewhere within the grave.
0:24:27 > 0:24:31So as you can see, we have got a number of plans of burials here.
0:24:31 > 0:24:34These are all from Winchester. Also you can see here...
0:24:34 > 0:24:37That was where the one that I dug was. It was right down by...
0:24:37 > 0:24:40It is, it is quite common between the lower legs
0:24:40 > 0:24:43or the knees is quite a common position.
0:24:43 > 0:24:46You can see again here, it's higher up, it's on the femur.
0:24:46 > 0:24:54- So it's on the thigh. This one is by the knees.- How widespread is it?
0:24:54 > 0:24:57There's a handful of cases outside of Roman Britain,
0:24:57 > 0:25:01but when we come into Britain itself, there's hundreds of examples.
0:25:03 > 0:25:07Back in 1998, we thought this peculiarly British practice
0:25:07 > 0:25:08was a burial rite.
0:25:09 > 0:25:13But Katie's new study has revealed that many heads were removed
0:25:13 > 0:25:17for more practical, earthly reasons.
0:25:20 > 0:25:25So you can see, this individual here, this is from St Martin's Close.
0:25:25 > 0:25:28You can see here there is a chop mark which has removed
0:25:28 > 0:25:32the top of the second cervical vertebra and has also removed
0:25:32 > 0:25:36part of the arch and facet of the first cervical vertebra.
0:25:36 > 0:25:42So you can see the chop mark here. This is actually coming from behind.
0:25:42 > 0:25:46You can tell this because the side of the bone where the blow has
0:25:46 > 0:25:50actually come in, it is nice and clean in appearance.
0:25:50 > 0:25:53And the opposite side, the bone has broken away as the blow has
0:25:53 > 0:25:57- gone through the neck.- So that is more of a distinct chop.
0:25:57 > 0:26:00- Yes, this is a chopping blow.- Right.
0:26:00 > 0:26:02And do you know whether that happened
0:26:02 > 0:26:05when that person was alive, or whether it was after they had died?
0:26:05 > 0:26:08In this individual, I think this was probably how they died.
0:26:08 > 0:26:13- This is what killed them.- How can you tell that?- Well, you can see...
0:26:13 > 0:26:17This is all the same chop mark which has affected both vertebrae.
0:26:17 > 0:26:21But in order to get those two cuts to line up,
0:26:21 > 0:26:27you have to actually move the first cervical vertebra upwards,
0:26:27 > 0:26:31- so the head would have been down onto the chest.- Right.
0:26:31 > 0:26:34But this is impossible to produce in a corpse
0:26:34 > 0:26:36lying face down on the ground.
0:26:36 > 0:26:39So this individual would have had to have been alive at the time that this was done.
0:26:39 > 0:26:42So, does this imply execution?
0:26:42 > 0:26:44I would think in this individual,
0:26:44 > 0:26:48it is a good indication that this is probably an execution burial.
0:26:49 > 0:26:53This research is suggesting that executions were more common
0:26:53 > 0:26:55than we once thought.
0:26:55 > 0:27:01But there is still the intriguing question of why the executed corpses
0:27:01 > 0:27:03were buried in such unusual ways.
0:27:03 > 0:27:07From the ethnographic evidence and from later medieval sources
0:27:07 > 0:27:11and from evidence elsewhere in Europe, the most likely explanation
0:27:11 > 0:27:14seems to be that it is a way of preventing hauntings.
0:27:14 > 0:27:18Stopping undesirable individuals from being able to come back after they were dead.
0:27:21 > 0:27:24Roman Winchester, with all its strange beliefs,
0:27:24 > 0:27:27still lies hidden beneath today's modern streets.
0:27:30 > 0:27:34But since our excavation over 15 years ago, new scientific
0:27:34 > 0:27:38studies have transformed our understanding of this ancient world.
0:27:42 > 0:27:45Back then, it seemed such a simple story.
0:27:47 > 0:27:50Our wealthy man from Winchester was a classic Romano-British pagan
0:27:50 > 0:27:54who died early in the 4th century AD. He was buried with
0:27:54 > 0:27:56a coin to pay the ferryman to
0:27:56 > 0:27:59take his soul across the River Styx into the next world.
0:27:59 > 0:28:04But that coin had on it a portrait of the first Christian emperor.
0:28:04 > 0:28:07A sign that our man's world was changing and that very soon,
0:28:07 > 0:28:10Christianity would become the Empire's official religion.
0:28:12 > 0:28:15Now we have discovered that late-Roman Winchester was
0:28:15 > 0:28:18a place of extraordinary diversity.
0:28:18 > 0:28:23People from all over the Empire came here and enjoyed its splendour.
0:28:23 > 0:28:25As long as they toed the line.
0:28:25 > 0:28:28The Empire ruled and those who broke its laws could expect to be
0:28:28 > 0:28:33punished, sometimes severely, perhaps even by execution.
0:28:33 > 0:28:34But in the background,
0:28:34 > 0:28:37cracks were starting to appear in the Empire's authority.
0:28:37 > 0:28:41The first signs that within a century of our man's death,
0:28:41 > 0:28:45once-proud Winchester would start its slide into ruin.
0:28:51 > 0:28:54For all the fascination of Winchester's Roman cemeteries,
0:28:54 > 0:28:57I am leaving our pagan man behind.
0:29:01 > 0:29:04Winchester might have been important, but it was Londinium that
0:29:04 > 0:29:08was the commercial and administrative heart of Roman Britain.
0:29:08 > 0:29:12And it was 14 years ago, at Spitalfields in east London, where
0:29:12 > 0:29:17I took part in one of the most exciting discoveries of my entire career.
0:29:19 > 0:29:23I have come 60 miles east to catch up with the latest developments
0:29:23 > 0:29:25surrounding a remarkable grave,
0:29:25 > 0:29:27this one dating from the middle of the 4th century.
0:29:27 > 0:29:31About a generation or so after our Winchester man died.
0:29:45 > 0:29:49In 1999, a team from the Museum of London started excavating
0:29:49 > 0:29:54a huge medieval cemetery hidden beneath present-day Spitalfields.
0:29:56 > 0:30:00But it wasn't only medieval mass graves that the team discovered.
0:30:03 > 0:30:06There were earlier, Roman burials.
0:30:06 > 0:30:10Including a massive stone sarcophagus.
0:30:13 > 0:30:14LOUD BEEPING
0:30:19 > 0:30:21- It's a pretty big signal, isn't it?- It is.
0:30:23 > 0:30:25Is it all the way along?
0:30:25 > 0:30:27Yes.
0:30:27 > 0:30:33I still think that's a good indication of a lead lining, don't you?
0:30:33 > 0:30:36- It's possible.- What else could it be?
0:30:42 > 0:30:47This is the first time I have been back to Spitalfields since 1999.
0:30:48 > 0:30:54I'm used to things changing a lot, but this is...very puzzling.
0:30:54 > 0:30:57I'm trying to work out where the hell I am.
0:30:57 > 0:31:01That's Bishopsgate down there so on that basis,
0:31:01 > 0:31:05the old market must be behind that building.
0:31:07 > 0:31:10So if that's the case,
0:31:10 > 0:31:14and that's still there,
0:31:14 > 0:31:18the burial must be somewhere underneath that!
0:31:24 > 0:31:28People have been finding Roman skeletons at Spitalfields for centuries.
0:31:28 > 0:31:31Now here, we are just outside Londinium.
0:31:31 > 0:31:33But Roman burial law didn't allow anybody to be buried
0:31:33 > 0:31:35inside the city walls.
0:31:35 > 0:31:38So what happened, the cemeteries grew up alongside the roads
0:31:38 > 0:31:40that led out in all directions.
0:31:40 > 0:31:42This one is by the Northgate.
0:31:44 > 0:31:48We're now trying to get the lid off without the thing falling to bits.
0:31:48 > 0:31:52It's quite fortunate that it's cracked,
0:31:52 > 0:31:56cos this smaller end will lift off, it only weighs about 200 kilos.
0:31:56 > 0:32:01But the other bit will be a problem. That could involve the car jack.
0:32:03 > 0:32:08Finding a sarcophagus was one thing, getting it open was quite another.
0:32:12 > 0:32:18Can you get it up any higher on that side? ..There we go.
0:32:18 > 0:32:24Is there a joke about how many archaeologists it takes to lift a sarcophagus?
0:32:24 > 0:32:27What's the answer?
0:32:27 > 0:32:29About 30 at the moment, I think.
0:32:29 > 0:32:3529 to put the scaffolding tubes in and one to lift up the jack.
0:32:35 > 0:32:38Finally, 30 archaeologists managed to move the lid.
0:32:40 > 0:32:42Oh, look at that!
0:32:42 > 0:32:45Can we get this back one out?
0:32:47 > 0:32:50- Isn't that fantastic?- Unbelievable.
0:32:50 > 0:32:53I've never seen anything like this.
0:32:53 > 0:32:58Not only is there this stone coffin, but a lead one inside it as well.
0:32:58 > 0:33:03No wonder the metal detector gave such a strong signal. Fantastic.
0:33:03 > 0:33:05I'm dying to see what's underneath...
0:33:05 > 0:33:08'The signal had hinted at a major discovery.'
0:33:08 > 0:33:11Now, that had been confirmed.
0:33:11 > 0:33:14No sarcophagus complete with lead coffin had been
0:33:14 > 0:33:17excavated in London since Victorian times.
0:33:18 > 0:33:19But who had it been made for?
0:33:20 > 0:33:23This is pretty exceptional,
0:33:23 > 0:33:28probably someone important, and if we know who he is,
0:33:28 > 0:33:31it fills a gap in our knowledge.
0:33:31 > 0:33:36You're making the assumption that it's a HE. How can you be so sure?
0:33:36 > 0:33:38I don't think we have any evidence
0:33:38 > 0:33:42that women held high positions
0:33:42 > 0:33:44in Roman society in England
0:33:44 > 0:33:46in that period,
0:33:46 > 0:33:48- so I slightly doubt it.- Yeah.
0:33:48 > 0:33:51But one has to keep an open mind,
0:33:51 > 0:33:57because if I say, "It could never be a woman," it'll be a woman, won't it?
0:34:00 > 0:34:04We did need to keep an open mind because there, from the earth
0:34:04 > 0:34:08next to the sarcophagus, mysterious objects began to emerge.
0:34:10 > 0:34:13These are objects made of jet
0:34:13 > 0:34:18which are in the soil fill around the outside of the sarcophagus.
0:34:19 > 0:34:23I'm not quite sure what they are yet,
0:34:23 > 0:34:28but I suspect that they might be cosmetic implements,
0:34:28 > 0:34:34which might give us an indication of the sex of the coffin's occupant.
0:34:34 > 0:34:39It might be that we have a lady and these were objects she would've used.
0:34:43 > 0:34:46It seemed that the Spitalfields discovery wasn't just
0:34:46 > 0:34:50the burial of a high-ranking Roman but unexpectedly,
0:34:50 > 0:34:57that of a woman who had lived and died in Londinium around 350 AD.
0:34:57 > 0:35:01Coming back here again took me straight back to the dig,
0:35:01 > 0:35:04the feeling of excitement and the sense that this was
0:35:04 > 0:35:08one of those finds that would contain as many secrets as answers.
0:35:08 > 0:35:12Finding that intact sarcophagus was one of those moments that
0:35:12 > 0:35:14makes archaeology really magical for me.
0:35:14 > 0:35:16Because suddenly, there is that immediate,
0:35:16 > 0:35:19intimate contact with the past.
0:35:19 > 0:35:22And as the lid came off and we saw that decorated lead coffin
0:35:22 > 0:35:24and we found the objects of jet and glass,
0:35:24 > 0:35:28suddenly we realised that we were on something really big.
0:35:30 > 0:35:33Here, we had something that was so rich,
0:35:33 > 0:35:36so special, that we thought we had a much better chance
0:35:36 > 0:35:40of understanding not only the person but the world that they lived in.
0:35:40 > 0:35:45And here, we had someone from a particularly interesting place and time.
0:35:45 > 0:35:49Roman London, 4th century AD.
0:35:49 > 0:35:53So I couldn't wait to see what happened when we got the coffin lid off.
0:35:55 > 0:35:59Back in 1999, that huge, two-tonne sarcophagus
0:35:59 > 0:36:03was lifted from the place where it had rested for the last 1,600 years.
0:36:06 > 0:36:12Its next stop was the Museum of London and a meeting with the press.
0:36:12 > 0:36:16We're very relieved that we've got it here in one piece.
0:36:16 > 0:36:21It's been reasonably flat, with minimum disturbance to the coffin,
0:36:21 > 0:36:26so we're hoping that it won't be disturbed too much inside the coffin.
0:36:29 > 0:36:32Once safely in the museum, conservators began
0:36:32 > 0:36:37the delicate task of removing centuries of stubborn London clay.
0:36:37 > 0:36:40No-one could have guessed what it had been hiding.
0:36:41 > 0:36:45The exciting thing was when we started to clean it and we saw what was underneath the soil.
0:36:45 > 0:36:48We were so surprised, really.
0:36:48 > 0:36:51We had no idea we'd get something as fabulous as that
0:36:51 > 0:36:52on our coffins.
0:36:55 > 0:36:59Revealed for the first time was extraordinary decoration.
0:36:59 > 0:37:03Intricate patterns of rope and scallop shells.
0:37:04 > 0:37:08At the time, the scallop shells, as well as the east-west alignment of
0:37:08 > 0:37:12the grave, was suggested as evidence that this was a Christian burial.
0:37:14 > 0:37:18And at last, after weeks of waiting, it was time to come face to face
0:37:18 > 0:37:21with the occupant of this elaborate tomb.
0:37:23 > 0:37:25Everyone ready? Lift on three.
0:37:25 > 0:37:30- After one, two, three. Is everyone happy with that?- Yup.
0:37:30 > 0:37:33One, two, three.
0:37:35 > 0:37:36And lower.
0:37:51 > 0:37:56The bones are much better preserved that I'd have expected and quite small and slim.
0:37:56 > 0:37:58What's your immediate impression?
0:37:58 > 0:38:04My immediate impression is what's all the wet material?
0:38:04 > 0:38:09Maybe this silt in the bottom has fixed the bones in position.
0:38:10 > 0:38:14With such well preserved remains, forensic experts could create
0:38:14 > 0:38:17a fittingly lavish reconstruction of our woman.
0:38:17 > 0:38:20We can get some idea about the shape of the nose
0:38:20 > 0:38:25from the shape of the bones around the nasal aperture.
0:38:25 > 0:38:29For example, on this particular skull,
0:38:29 > 0:38:33the nasal spine slopes slightly downwards,
0:38:33 > 0:38:37so the base of her nose will slope slightly downwards.
0:38:40 > 0:38:41First clay.
0:38:44 > 0:38:45Then wax.
0:38:48 > 0:38:51And all the skills of a make-up artist were used to
0:38:51 > 0:38:54painstakingly reconstruct the features which would last
0:38:54 > 0:38:56have been seen by Roman Londoners.
0:38:58 > 0:39:03And finally, we got a glimpse of what she might have looked like.
0:39:14 > 0:39:16Today, 14 years later,
0:39:16 > 0:39:20our Spitalfields lady still lies in the Museum of London.
0:39:36 > 0:39:39This takes me right back to the time when I first saw her.
0:39:39 > 0:39:42And strangely, it wasn't out on an excavation site with bones
0:39:42 > 0:39:46being revealed one by one as the soil was gently removed.
0:39:46 > 0:39:48It was here, in the Museum of London.
0:39:48 > 0:39:51And just like with our man from Winchester it was
0:39:51 > 0:39:56when the lid of the coffin came off and suddenly there was a revelation.
0:39:56 > 0:39:59Here, though, it was in the full glare of publicity.
0:40:00 > 0:40:04What we realised as soon as the lid came off was that
0:40:04 > 0:40:05it contained a woman.
0:40:05 > 0:40:08The shape of the skull, the shape of the pelvis,
0:40:08 > 0:40:12the slenderness of the bones, all pointed in that direction.
0:40:12 > 0:40:15What we now know and what we didn't know then
0:40:15 > 0:40:17was that she was about 25 years old
0:40:17 > 0:40:21when she died, about five foot four tall, which is above average.
0:40:21 > 0:40:24There are no signs of her having had any children.
0:40:24 > 0:40:29But what was, and still is a mystery, is what she died of.
0:40:29 > 0:40:32So what we have here are the bones of a young,
0:40:32 > 0:40:37very wealthy Roman woman, from the middle of the 4th century AD.
0:40:37 > 0:40:39But there are still questions remaining.
0:40:39 > 0:40:43Who was she? And what was her place in this late Roman world?
0:40:53 > 0:40:56Roman London was a changing city.
0:40:56 > 0:40:59In its glory days of the second century,
0:40:59 > 0:41:01it had a population of around 45,000.
0:41:03 > 0:41:05Britain's very first metropolis.
0:41:06 > 0:41:11But by the time of our Spitalfields lady, that population had halved.
0:41:20 > 0:41:22In the early part of the 4th century AD,
0:41:22 > 0:41:25the population of London might have shrunk
0:41:25 > 0:41:28but life was still pretty good for most people who lived here.
0:41:28 > 0:41:30There is plenty of evidence of wealth
0:41:30 > 0:41:33and those that lived in the countryside in rich villas
0:41:33 > 0:41:36were still enjoying a fairly opulent lifestyle.
0:41:36 > 0:41:39But in the second half of the 4th century, Roman Britain,
0:41:39 > 0:41:45with London at its heart, was going through some fairly turbulent times.
0:41:45 > 0:41:47And wasn't just a time of political instability.
0:41:47 > 0:41:50It was a time of changing beliefs.
0:41:50 > 0:41:53Our woman, walking the streets of the city, might have caught
0:41:53 > 0:41:58a glimpse of a new arrival, Roman London's first Christian bishop.
0:42:01 > 0:42:04A decade ago, and just a year apart,
0:42:04 > 0:42:07we had unearthed two very different burials.
0:42:09 > 0:42:12One, a successful Winchester man from the start of the 4th century.
0:42:12 > 0:42:18A Briton who had embraced Roman culture. And a pagan.
0:42:20 > 0:42:23The other, a fabulously rich young woman,
0:42:23 > 0:42:27someone who had lived in London a few decades later.
0:42:27 > 0:42:31Someone who could, possibly, even have been a Christian.
0:42:32 > 0:42:35And since our Spitalfields lady was living through
0:42:35 > 0:42:39a time of religious change, it was possible that her burial
0:42:39 > 0:42:43contained secrets that could reveal her personal beliefs.
0:42:46 > 0:42:48It is going to be an interesting evening...
0:42:48 > 0:42:52Back in 1999, with the world's press watching,
0:42:52 > 0:42:57unusual objects began to appear from the silt inside her coffin.
0:42:57 > 0:42:59- Can you see, Simon?- What is it?
0:42:59 > 0:43:02It looks like there is a group of leaves, or the casts of leaves.
0:43:02 > 0:43:05- It is, absolutely!- You can see it very clearly.
0:43:05 > 0:43:07You can see the stem along there
0:43:07 > 0:43:09and there are actually veins coming off it.
0:43:09 > 0:43:11It's incredibly clear.
0:43:11 > 0:43:13- That is very, very extraordinary. - Incredibly exciting.
0:43:13 > 0:43:15Look at the whole bit along there.
0:43:15 > 0:43:18- That all looks like leaf, doesn't it?- I think it's a whole group.
0:43:18 > 0:43:20It's quite astounding.
0:43:20 > 0:43:23Lying undisturbed for over 1,600 years,
0:43:23 > 0:43:27it seems as though some of the leaves had almost turned to stone.
0:43:30 > 0:43:33Others looked as if they had just fallen from the tree.
0:43:36 > 0:43:41Microscopic comparison identify them as bay leaves.
0:43:41 > 0:43:43It seemed as if they had formed a pillow
0:43:43 > 0:43:46as she drifted through eternal sleep.
0:43:46 > 0:43:51And then, another incredible find.
0:43:51 > 0:43:53Tiny fragments of gold thread.
0:43:53 > 0:43:56Is some of this textile, with the gold thread in it?
0:43:56 > 0:43:59That's right. This is one of the pieces of textile that we found.
0:43:59 > 0:44:04We're really not sure whether this is something she's lying on
0:44:04 > 0:44:05or whether it is some kind of a garment.
0:44:07 > 0:44:10Preserved in the silt at the bottom of the coffin
0:44:10 > 0:44:15were the rare and delicate remains of Roman fabric.
0:44:15 > 0:44:17- Have you seen anything like this before?- No.
0:44:17 > 0:44:21- So, everybody's very excited?- Yeah!
0:44:21 > 0:44:23Where that textile was, you can see
0:44:23 > 0:44:27all the little tiny fragments of gold thread,
0:44:27 > 0:44:30just sitting right on the bottom of the coffin.
0:44:32 > 0:44:37This unique discovery was a purple damask silk,
0:44:37 > 0:44:39embellished with a delicate gold thread.
0:44:45 > 0:44:48The silk would have been cultivated in China,
0:44:48 > 0:44:52embroidered in the Middle East and, finally,
0:44:52 > 0:44:54used in London, as a funeral shroud,
0:44:54 > 0:44:58ending an extraordinary global journey.
0:44:59 > 0:45:02And then, a final surprise.
0:45:02 > 0:45:06In the narrow gap between the outer stone sarcophagus
0:45:06 > 0:45:08and the inner lead coffin - glass.
0:45:10 > 0:45:13This is an amazing glass vessel,
0:45:13 > 0:45:17- that we found.- It's incredible!- It's about a foot long. It's really long.
0:45:17 > 0:45:20What would something like this contain, though?
0:45:20 > 0:45:24Well, I understand that it's an ointment bottle.
0:45:24 > 0:45:25So, some sort of ointment.
0:45:28 > 0:45:31Today, these incredibly fragile objects
0:45:31 > 0:45:34have been carefully conserved at the Museum of London.
0:45:34 > 0:45:37- What a collection, though. - Interesting range, isn't it?
0:45:37 > 0:45:41You've got these amazing glass vials here.
0:45:41 > 0:45:44You've got jet objects. We think that's part of a dipper for the vial.
0:45:44 > 0:45:47A couple of jet objects here, which are hair ornaments,
0:45:47 > 0:45:52- we think.- A peculiar box. - An amazing little trinket box,
0:45:52 > 0:45:56which is actually made up of three sorts of jet-like material.
0:45:56 > 0:45:58It would have been lovely and black and shiny
0:45:58 > 0:45:59when it was first made.
0:45:59 > 0:46:02- What are these?- These... - It's a bay leaf!
0:46:02 > 0:46:05That was to do with the wreath behind her head, wasn't it?
0:46:05 > 0:46:09Quite astonishing. There seems to have been a pillow of bay leaves
0:46:09 > 0:46:12- under her head.- That's some of the textile, isn't it?
0:46:12 > 0:46:16- These are part of her clothing, yes. - With the gold thread.
0:46:18 > 0:46:21'Angela Wardle, the Roman finds expert at the museum,
0:46:21 > 0:46:24'has spent over a decade investigating the objects.'
0:46:27 > 0:46:28This narrow flask,
0:46:28 > 0:46:31this very narrow flask,
0:46:31 > 0:46:34did contain oils and I suspect that the dipper here was used
0:46:34 > 0:46:36to sprinkle those.
0:46:36 > 0:46:39You could dip that in and flick it, during the ritual.
0:46:39 > 0:46:41That is an unbelievable object, isn't it,
0:46:41 > 0:46:46that delicate cagework of glass, there?
0:46:46 > 0:46:50'What's more, study of the objects has provided tantalising glimpses
0:46:50 > 0:46:53'of our woman's beliefs.'
0:46:53 > 0:46:56I remember when that sarcophagus
0:46:56 > 0:46:58was opened and we first saw the lid there
0:46:58 > 0:47:00and the scallop shells appeared.
0:47:00 > 0:47:03Everybody's immediate thought was that it was Christian,
0:47:03 > 0:47:07because we assume that is a Christian pilgrim symbol, don't we?
0:47:07 > 0:47:11- But that is not the case.- No. That theory has been dismissed now.
0:47:11 > 0:47:14The scallop shell, in fact, is a very ancient symbol.
0:47:14 > 0:47:20It was used in antiquity and has been used in burials and on coffins
0:47:20 > 0:47:22from quite an early period,
0:47:22 > 0:47:28possibly representing the journey of the dead to the underworld,
0:47:28 > 0:47:31across the seas or across the River Styx.
0:47:31 > 0:47:34Erm...but it's a very ancient symbol and not Christian.
0:47:34 > 0:47:36- It was adopted by the Christians later...- Yes.
0:47:36 > 0:47:39..but that came much later.
0:47:39 > 0:47:42But if our high-ranking lady wasn't a Christian,
0:47:42 > 0:47:48what did she believe? And do her grave goods contain the answer?
0:47:48 > 0:47:51So, we seem to have got a mixture of things in here that are either
0:47:51 > 0:47:53personal possessions, like the hair ornaments,
0:47:53 > 0:47:57or objects that might be more to do with the burial rite,
0:47:57 > 0:48:00with the ritual. Do they point us in any particular direction,
0:48:00 > 0:48:02apart from the fact that they are pagan?
0:48:02 > 0:48:06Quite a lot of the things do perhaps point to the idea that
0:48:06 > 0:48:09the lady herself, or her family,
0:48:09 > 0:48:12may have belonged to some sort of mystery cult.
0:48:12 > 0:48:15The bay leaves are evergreen.
0:48:15 > 0:48:17It's perhaps symbolic of life in the hereafter.
0:48:17 > 0:48:22Now, it's quite likely that this was used as a sprinkler.
0:48:22 > 0:48:25It's got a very constricted neck.
0:48:25 > 0:48:28Whatever the contents were, they would have to be shaken out,
0:48:28 > 0:48:31so it could well have been that the body perhaps
0:48:31 > 0:48:33was anointed before the lid was put on.
0:48:33 > 0:48:36We don't know. But what is interesting,
0:48:36 > 0:48:39that although this is fairly unusual in London -
0:48:39 > 0:48:41I think we've got about five examples -
0:48:41 > 0:48:44they're quite well known in the Roman world,
0:48:44 > 0:48:48right from the east, to Europos, as far as York,
0:48:48 > 0:48:52but they've only been found in funerary contexts - in burials.
0:48:52 > 0:48:56The contents of one was analysed back in the early 20th century
0:48:56 > 0:48:58in Bordeaux,
0:48:58 > 0:49:01- and was found to contain... - Wine?- Yes.
0:49:01 > 0:49:05If that flask held wine,
0:49:05 > 0:49:08well, wine was used by Bacchus.
0:49:09 > 0:49:11Romans who followed Bacchus
0:49:11 > 0:49:15believed the grapevine symbolised death and rebirth,
0:49:15 > 0:49:19and that intoxication from wine was an act of godly possession.
0:49:20 > 0:49:23This was one of the so-called mystery cults
0:49:23 > 0:49:26that grew in popularity in the middle of the fourth century -
0:49:26 > 0:49:29just when our lady was alive.
0:49:31 > 0:49:33We know, for example, there were shrines
0:49:33 > 0:49:35of Bacchus in the town at the time, from inscriptions.
0:49:35 > 0:49:42And Bacchic symbolism is found in a lot of everyday items
0:49:42 > 0:49:44throughout the Roman occupation of London.
0:49:44 > 0:49:49So, if you had to, sort of, suggest what either this woman
0:49:49 > 0:49:51or her immediate family believed in,
0:49:51 > 0:49:53is that the direction you'd head in?
0:49:53 > 0:49:57Yes. Well, I would like to perhaps think that she may have belonged
0:49:57 > 0:49:59to a mystery cult and perhaps my preference would be for Bacchus.
0:50:02 > 0:50:07Mystery cults involved initiations, rites and rituals.
0:50:09 > 0:50:10In fourth century London,
0:50:10 > 0:50:14the fastest-growing of all was an odd Eastern cult,
0:50:14 > 0:50:16called Christianity(!)
0:50:18 > 0:50:22Christianity preached equality before a single God,
0:50:22 > 0:50:25even for slaves, hence its widespread appeal.
0:50:27 > 0:50:31But it's no surprise that upper-class Roman society took to
0:50:31 > 0:50:36another mystery cult, to Bacchus, which was far, far more exclusive.
0:50:42 > 0:50:44It's 21st-century London,
0:50:44 > 0:50:49the heart of the city surrounded by a massive building site.
0:50:49 > 0:50:53This is one of the strangest Roman temples that I've ever come to,
0:50:53 > 0:50:56but if I'd been here over 1,600 years ago,
0:50:56 > 0:51:01and 16 feet below ground, I'd have been standing in front of an entire
0:51:01 > 0:51:04Roman temple, originally built for the god Mithras,
0:51:04 > 0:51:08but rededicated in around 350 to the god Bacchus.
0:51:08 > 0:51:11Now, what Bacchus offered people were a lot of the advantages
0:51:11 > 0:51:15of Christianity - the idea of everlasting life
0:51:15 > 0:51:18and resurrection - but without the nasty bits that some people
0:51:18 > 0:51:19found a bit unpalatable,
0:51:19 > 0:51:23like the idea that everybody was equal in the sight of God.
0:51:23 > 0:51:26And it was also something that was rather aristocratic
0:51:26 > 0:51:30and exclusive, with invitation-only feasts.
0:51:30 > 0:51:34Now, we know that our woman was around at that time of change.
0:51:34 > 0:51:38Maybe she was involved in it and perhaps she even brought
0:51:38 > 0:51:42this new religion with her from somewhere else in the Empire.
0:51:42 > 0:51:44One thing I'm absolutely convinced about,
0:51:44 > 0:51:47it was probably a lot quieter back then in Roman London.
0:51:53 > 0:51:56So, just where did our lady come from?
0:51:56 > 0:52:00And might she really have brought new beliefs with her from overseas?
0:52:01 > 0:52:0514 years ago, isotope science told us that our lady
0:52:05 > 0:52:07probably wasn't from Britain,
0:52:07 > 0:52:10but from somewhere warmer in southern Europe.
0:52:12 > 0:52:15But it's only now that we've been able to solve
0:52:15 > 0:52:17the mystery of exactly where she grew up.
0:52:20 > 0:52:22I'm heading off up to Durham, to talk to the scientists, who,
0:52:22 > 0:52:26until quite recently, had all but given up on trying to solve
0:52:26 > 0:52:28the mystery of exactly where our lady came from.
0:52:29 > 0:52:33But then, about a year ago, she had a chance telephone call -
0:52:33 > 0:52:37a call that has led to a profound change in how we understand our lady
0:52:37 > 0:52:39and the world that she lived in.
0:52:46 > 0:52:50Janet Montgomery was involved in the original isotope research
0:52:50 > 0:52:52done on the Spitalfields lady.
0:52:52 > 0:52:56One of the tests she pioneered was analysing lead isotopes
0:52:56 > 0:52:57found in tooth enamel.
0:52:59 > 0:53:03She believed it could unlock the secrets of our lady's origins.
0:53:06 > 0:53:09Janet, do you remember when we first looked at the woman
0:53:09 > 0:53:11from Spitalfields and tried to find out where she was from?
0:53:11 > 0:53:14I think we looked at oxygen isotopes
0:53:14 > 0:53:17which said that she was from somewhere warmer,
0:53:17 > 0:53:19but it was all a bit vague.
0:53:19 > 0:53:22- Have you got any closer to where she might have come from?- Yes.
0:53:22 > 0:53:27We did strontium and lead isotopes at the same time,
0:53:27 > 0:53:30but the strontium wasn't particularly diagnostic.
0:53:30 > 0:53:32It was something you could get from almost anywhere.
0:53:32 > 0:53:35But the lead was very odd,
0:53:35 > 0:53:41because it was completely different to anything else we've had since
0:53:41 > 0:53:47from burials in England. And these are all individuals from England.
0:53:47 > 0:53:50They have English ore lead, which is mainly Pennines.
0:53:50 > 0:53:54But the Spitalfields lady is completely different.
0:53:54 > 0:53:56She's sitting up there on her own
0:53:56 > 0:54:01and we couldn't find any sources that could explain that value
0:54:01 > 0:54:05and explain where she came from. We knew it wasn't from England.
0:54:05 > 0:54:09We knew she wasn't from England, because she would be here,
0:54:09 > 0:54:12but what it was, we couldn't say.
0:54:12 > 0:54:15- So, all that says is that she's not from Britain?- Yes. I know.
0:54:15 > 0:54:18Yes, we're certain that she's not from Britain.
0:54:18 > 0:54:22She couldn't have grown up in Britain and had that lead isotope value.
0:54:22 > 0:54:23So, that fits with your...
0:54:23 > 0:54:25'So we knew that she was foreign,
0:54:25 > 0:54:29'but brand-new data has brought with it a revelation.'
0:54:29 > 0:54:33Last year, I had a student contact me
0:54:33 > 0:54:36from America, who was working on two sites in Rome,
0:54:36 > 0:54:38dating from the Roman period,
0:54:38 > 0:54:40and she wanted to do some isotope analysis and I said,
0:54:40 > 0:54:46- "Are you doing lead?" She said, "No." I said, "Could I do it?" "Yes."- Yes.
0:54:46 > 0:54:50And so we looked at the lead isotopes in some of the individuals
0:54:50 > 0:54:54- who were from the cemeteries in Rome. - In Rome?- From the Roman period.
0:54:54 > 0:54:57- From Imperial Rome. - Where's this leading?
0:54:57 > 0:55:01Well, we got the data and I put it on the plot.
0:55:01 > 0:55:05She's from Rome. He's from Rome. He's from Rome.
0:55:05 > 0:55:08And the Spitalfields lady just sits there right in the middle of them.
0:55:08 > 0:55:13At this point, this is a point in your career where you go, you know,
0:55:13 > 0:55:16"Yes!" It was just so exciting. I was dancing around the room,
0:55:16 > 0:55:21much the amusement of the builders who were on the opposite roof.
0:55:21 > 0:55:24- That must been quite a moment, then?- Yes, it was. It was.
0:55:24 > 0:55:26Archaeology doesn't get much better than that.
0:55:26 > 0:55:28So, she is from Rome?
0:55:28 > 0:55:35Well, yes. I think there isn't really any other rational explanation.
0:55:35 > 0:55:38When you get values like that, that are so distinct, I think, yes.
0:55:38 > 0:55:43I think she's the first Roman person that we've found in Britain.
0:55:43 > 0:55:46- The first one?!- Yes. Yes.
0:55:46 > 0:55:50Yeah. She's somebody who moved to London from Rome.
0:55:55 > 0:55:58From that moment, 14 years ago,
0:55:58 > 0:56:00when I first saw the Spitalfields' sarcophagus,
0:56:00 > 0:56:04I knew that we'd discovered something very, very special.
0:56:05 > 0:56:10Today however, we know that of all the Roman discoveries
0:56:10 > 0:56:14ever made in Britain, our lady is utterly unique.
0:56:17 > 0:56:19It's impossible to exaggerate the importance of this
0:56:19 > 0:56:22new isotope research, because what it shows is
0:56:22 > 0:56:27that she came not from France or from Spain, but from Rome itself.
0:56:27 > 0:56:31So she is now the only person from Roman Britain who can be
0:56:31 > 0:56:34proved to have come from Rome, the Imperial city.
0:56:34 > 0:56:38And what's even more surprising is that she chose to come here
0:56:38 > 0:56:41at a time when a lot of Romans in Britain might have been
0:56:41 > 0:56:43thinking about buying a one-way ticket back home.
0:56:45 > 0:56:47So, did she bring with her her new beliefs,
0:56:47 > 0:56:51perhaps an involvement with the cult of Bacchus?
0:56:51 > 0:56:53That's a very intriguing possibility.
0:56:55 > 0:56:58And her presence here does lead us to a wider understanding,
0:56:58 > 0:57:00because London in the middle of the fourth century
0:57:00 > 0:57:04may have been in decline, as far as population was concerned,
0:57:04 > 0:57:06but it was still attracting people in
0:57:06 > 0:57:08from the very heart of the Roman Empire.
0:57:21 > 0:57:25Both of these people lived in Britain during the fourth century.
0:57:25 > 0:57:27The last century of Roman rule.
0:57:27 > 0:57:30One, a man from Winchester, was a Brit,
0:57:30 > 0:57:34but one who'd well and truly bought into Roman ways.
0:57:34 > 0:57:37The other, our fabulously wealthy lady,
0:57:37 > 0:57:41was a newcomer from Rome, the Imperial City, bringing new gods
0:57:41 > 0:57:45and new blood to Britain - that incredible cultural melting pot.
0:57:51 > 0:57:54But did either of them realise that, within a few generations,
0:57:54 > 0:57:58their ordered world of Roman Britain would start to crumble,
0:57:58 > 0:58:01that its great cities would decay and fall,
0:58:01 > 0:58:04until, 1,600 years later,
0:58:04 > 0:58:07the rebuilding of those very cities would bring our man
0:58:07 > 0:58:10and our woman into the modern world,
0:58:10 > 0:58:13where they could start to tell their amazing stories?
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