Mystery Skeleton Found in Roman Sarcophagus at Westminster Abbey May Finally Have an Identity
Stonework analysis and carbon dating suggest the Roman coffin was repurposed for a medieval monk, with researchers narrowing the occupant to two candidates.
- Researchers identified a skeleton found in a Roman sarcophagus at Westminster Abbey as a senior medieval monk who died between 987 and 1052.
- Originally crafted in the 4th Century for Valerius Amandinus, the limestone tomb was repurposed during the late Saxon period with a re-carved Latin cross.
- Pre-Construct Archaeology specialist James Young Langthorne suggests the man was 35 to 49 years old, contradicting 19th Century theories that described the remains as a "robust young man."
- Professor Warwick Rodwell, Westminster Abbey's archaeological consultant, narrowed the identities to two Benedictine monks: Abbot Aelfwig, who died around 1020, and his successor, Wulnoth.
- Now on display in the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Galleries, the sarcophagus provides a rare example of medieval funerary recycling, where reuse was considered an honor rather than a slight.
29 Articles
29 Articles
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An ancient mystery over a century, linked to a Roman sarcophagus discovered in the Westminster Abbey in London, was finally elucidated, archaeologists say. They say they have established who belongs to...
A Roman stone coffin found at Westminster Abbey in 1869 bore the name of a man from 1,600 years ago, but new tests date the skeleton inside to AD 987–1052; archaeologists say it may be one of two medieval abbots
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For more than 150 years an unusual sarcophagus in Westminster Abbey has occupied the professional world. Now a British archaeologist presents a new interpretation. According to this, two medieval abbots are considered as "inhabitants".
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