June 12th, 2009
‘Incredible’ Roman Burial site found on site of Weymouth Relief Road
At least 45 dismembered skeletons have been discovered in a burial pit by archaeologists digging on the site of the planned £87m relief road in Dorset.
The road has been heavily contested on the grounds that it will irrevocably scar an area of outstanding natural beauty. Protestors also contend that the road, which is intended to provide better transport links for the UK sailing venue for forthcoming Olympic games, is unnecessary when taking into account the huge carbon footprint it will generate and that Weymouth’s infrastructure will be unable to cope with the extra traffic the road will create.
David Score, project manager for Oxford Archaeology, called the find ‘remarkable’ saying “We have counted 45 skulls so far, these are in one section of the pit, and several torsos and leg bones in separate sections of the pit. It is rare to find a burial site like this one.”
Experts think that the skulls are predominately those of young men. “At the moment we don’t fully understand how or why the remains have come to be deposited in the pit but it seems highly likely that some kind of catastrophic event such as war, disease or execution has occurred.”
At present it doesn’t look as though this momentous find will impact upon Dorset County Council’s highways project. Mass demonstrations, eco campers living in the trees and continued impassioned pleas from locals and supporters of the campaign Bypass the Bypass have so far been unsuccessful to halt works.