Archaeology

Two 1,800-year-old Roman stone sarcophagi have been uncovered at a dig on the site of a former chapel and office buildings in Newcastle.

The coffins are thought to have been used to bury members of a powerful family from a nearby walled fort where Hadrian's Wall would once have run.

One of the sandstone sarcophagi has already been opened and contained the headless remains of a child.

The other was due to be opened by experts from Durham University last Friday.

The Durham University team was hired by a development company which aims to build a modern office block on the site once its archaeological riches have been preserved for future generations.

Roman army

Other discoveries at the site, on Forth Street, include cremation urns, a cobbled Roman road, a Roman well and the foundations of Roman shops and workers' homes.

Richard Annis, from Durham University, said: "These sarcophagi would have been a prominent feature of the landscape, as they were carefully placed to be viewed, being close to the road and, at the time, raised above the ground.

"They would certainly have had to belong to a wealthy family of a high status in the community, perhaps at Fort Commander level or at senior level in the Roman army."

The sarcophagi, about 70cm (2.2ft) wide and 180cm (5.9ft) long, have walls around 10cm (3.9ins) thick and weigh up to half a tonne each.

They are both carved out of a single piece of sandstone. Each lid was fixed in place with iron pegs sealed with molten lead.

After analysis by the Durham University team, all of the finds from the site will eventually go to the new Great North Museum in Newcastle, where the sarcophagi will be preserved for the public to see.

A Bronze Age building has been saved from destruction by the sea after a team of archaeologists moved it brick by brick to a safe location.

The 3,500 year old building was discovered during excavations on the island of Bressay in the Shetlands.

Concerned that the ancient site was under threat from coastal erosion, archaeologists decided to move it.

They dismantled, photographed and numbered each stone before carrying them carefully to their new location.

The ancient building at Cruester is thought to be linked to a nearby burnt mound, a large heap of fire-damaged stones thought to be once used for feasts, baths or saunas.

Burnt mounds are quite common throughout Britain and Ireland, but very few of them have been found with associated structures, giving the Bressay building special archaeological significance.

It was discovered during excavations in 2000 which located a series of dry-stone walled cells, connected by two corridors.

At the end of one corridor was a hearth cell, thought to have been used for heating stones, while at the other end was a tank sunk into the ground and constructed of large slabs of stone which is thought to have been used for boiling meat.

Archaeologists from St Andrews University worked alongside local volunteers for three months to move the building and then rebuild at a site next to the Bressay Heritage Centre.

John Scott, vice chairman of the Bressay History Group, said: "They numbered every stone in the structure, took very detailed photographs and measurements and that is how we managed to reconstruct it in exactly the same form.

"We probably moved about 60 tonnes of stone altogether so it has had the nice attraction of being a bit of a daft project but it worked and I think it has turned out to be a really good community project." (ed - a daft project? He should rethink his role as the chairman of the Bressay History Group!)

St Andrews University archaeologist Tom Dawson said: "Coastal erosion is threatening thousands of sites around Scotland, and the local group here came up with a novel idea for dealing with the problem.

"Although this approach isn't practical everywhere, it is great to have had the chance to give new life to this particular site and make it accessible to future generations, while also learning something new, not just about Cruester, but about burnt mounds in general.

"This has been a fantastic project, and it would not have been possible without the great support that we have had from so many members of the local community. Seeing the stones from the original building being transported away in a fleet of tractors was a fantastic sight."

The building will be officially opened to the public at its new site on Saturday by local MSP Tavish Scott.