Roman Cemetery, The Babraham Institute, Cambridgeshire: An Archaeological Excavation

Abstract

Between Agust and September 2006 a Roman cemetery found during the course of an archaeological evaluation at the Babraham Institute was partially excavated (>40% of it). This revealed a narrow NW-SE strip parallel to the putative Roman Road with 36 late 2nd to early 4th century AD graves containing upwards of 42 individuals (the latter equally divided between male and female) with evidence for the presence of family groups and at least ten infants and juveniles. Four or five of the skeletons showed evidence for post-mortem decapitation, whilst the average age of death was probably around 40. Accompanying grave goods (pottery beakers, jars, hob-nailed footwear (male) and bracelets, rings and necklaces (female) would seem to suggest that this was a moderately wealthy population, but without evidence for any rich burials. The cemetery appears to have been sited on a earlier circular cremation cemetery, possibly a Roman cremation barrow, containing up to seven cremations ranging from the late 1st to early 3rd century AD.