Gypsum burials in Roman Yorkshire

In my home area a feature of third and fourth century Roman funerary practice were gypsum burials in which the deceased person was placed in a stone coffin which was then filled up with liquid gypsum - what we would call Plaster of Paris - and then interred.* This may have been because the gypsum could be made from the rocks of the  magnesium limestone ridge which runs north to south through the area, and along which run the lines of several major Roman roads. The coffins tend to be robust, cut out of millstone grit from the area to the west.

Such gypsum burials are not uncommon in England, but the highest concentration is in and around York. Similar burials have been found in Europe and North Africa.

Investigators in York have pioneered research by means of scanning of a number of these burials.

The BBC News website has now reported about a new study that is being undertaken into twenty two of these burials that have been found in or close to York ( Eboracum ), Castleford ( Legiolium or Lagentum ) and Doncaster ( Danum ). Because of the gypsum details of clothing as well as of the body are recorded - analogous to the casts of victims from Pompeii.

The investigation and its potential is introduced at Project investigates mysterious Roman burials in Yorkshire

The York Museums Trust website has an illustrated catalogue entry about a child’s burial discovered in the nineteenth century, which has clear evidence of the shroud material which can be seen at Gypsum Burial | York Museums Trust

An earlier BBC News report from 2023 can be seen at Details of 'unusual' Roman burial ritual revealed by 3D scans

The Smithsonian Magazine has an article about the Roman practice and the modern research at Why Did the Romans Cover Bodies With Gypsum?

The recent discovery of a gypsum burial during work on the A47 near Peterbough is covered by The History Blog at Roman gypsum burial in stone coffin found during highway construction and by Popular Mechanics at Archaeologists Are Stumped After Finding a Peculiar Liquid Burial in an Ancient Roman Cemetery

There is a more detailed archaeological report about the burial and the others associated with it from Headland Archaeology at Roman cemetery uncovered on the A47 Wansford to Sutton dualling scheme

* I do not think this is a service still provided by local undertakers.

Latest discoveries from Roman Yorkshire

I saw this article on Tumblr and thought it was worth copying and sharing with readers - the links from it are also worth looking at, especially the last two about a Roman militart burial from Leicester and the remains of York gladiators:

Wealthy Roman Settlement Discovered Beneath Britain's Longest Road

By Rossella Lorenzi, Live Science Contributor | April 7, 2017 07:39am ET

A rare silver ring shaped like a snake that wraps around the finger hints at the great wealth of the people who lived at Cataractonium.

Credit: Northern Archaeological Associates

Construction work to upgrade Britain's longest road into a major highway has revealed a treasure trove of rare artifacts from one of the earliest and wealthiest Roman settlements in the country.
The findings include ancient shoes, cups, a rare silver ring, keys, a high-relief glass bowl and an elaborately carved amber figurine, archaeologists with the public group Historic England announced yesterday (April 6).

Archaeologists uncovered the artifacts in North Yorkshire along the A1, which stretches 410 miles (660 kilometers) from London to Edinburgh, Scotland, during a major project to improve the existing roadway. [See Photos of the Excavation and Roman Artifacts]

"It is fascinating to discover that nearly 2,000 years ago, the Romans were using the A1 route as a major road of strategic importance and using the very latest technological innovations from that period to construct the original road," Tom Howard, project manager at the government agency Highways England, said in a statement.

Beneath Britain's longest road lay a treasure trove of rare Roman artifacts.

Credit: Historic England

 Indeed, the newly found artifacts include a plumb bob used to build straight roads, which was likely utilized in the construction of Dere Street, a Roman road following the course of the A1, the researchers said.

Wealthy settlement

The excavations have also led to the discovery of a major Roman settlement at Scotch Corner, one of the best-known junctions in the country.

Taking its name from an old Roman road called Scots Dyke, Scotch Corner links Scotland with England and the east coast with the west coast.

Right there, the archaeologists with the professional consultant group Northern Archaeological Associates unearthed the remains of a large settlement dating back to A.D. 60, thus predating settlements in York and Carlisle by 10 years.

The discovery proves that the Romans "possibly began their territorial expansion into northern England a decade earlier than previously thought," according to Historic England.

The settlement at Scotch Corner was unusually large compared to others in northern England, and stretched over 4,600 feet (1,400 meters) from north to south — roughly the length of 13 football fields positioned end to end, according to Historic England.

Artifacts unearthed there suggest that the people who lived at Scotch Corner were rather wealthy. High-status imported items include the figure of a toga-clad actor carved from a block of amber, which is believed to have been made in Italy during the first century A.D.

"A similar example was found at Pompeii. Nothing like this has ever before been found in the U.K.," representatives with Historic England said.

The archaeologists unearthed more than 1,400 clay fragments of molds used for making gold, silver and copper coins, thus making the site the largest known and most northerly example of coin production ever found in Europe, the researchers said. Those findings suggest that the settlement might have served as a sophisticated industrial and administrative center, the archaeologists said.
"It shows that the Romans were carrying out significant industrial activity in this part of England and potentially producing coins of high value," Historic England representatives said in the statement.

Rise of Cataractonium

But it was a short-lived glory. The settlement was occupied for just two to three decades.  Its demise seems to coincide with the rise of Catterick, a town south of Scotch Corner known by the Romans as Cataractonium.

Finds at Catterick abounded. The archaeologists unearthed several well-preserved leather shoes, along with large sheets of leather, perhaps used for producing clothes. The artifacts suggest that Cataractonium was an important leatherworking center that likely supported the Roman military, the archaeologists said. [See Photos of Decapitated Gladiator Skeletons]

A rare silver ring shaped like a snake, which wraps around the finger, and a number of keys of various sizes suggest that the people who lived in Cataractonium were wealthy and that they locked up their valuable possessions, the archaeologists suggested.

Moreover, the many styli (Roman pens) and a pewter inkpot found at the site indicate that most of these ancient people were able to read and write, the researchers said.

"The sheer amount of exceptional objects found on this road scheme has been extraordinary," Neil Redfern, principal inspector of ancient monuments at Historic England, said in the statement. "This project has given us a unique opportunity to understand how the Romans conducted their military expansion into northern England and how civil life changed under their control."

Original article on Live Science.

Some related articles from Live Science :

Decapitated Gladiators Reveal Roman Empire's Genetic Influence
(2016)

Gladiator Heads? Mystery of Trove of British Skulls Solved

(2014)

Gladiator Gatorade: Ancient Fighters Drank Tangy 'Sports Drink'
(2014)
Ancient Concession Stands and Shops Found at Roman Gladiator arena
(2017)
Photos: Gladiators of the Roman Empire
(2012)