Archaeologists have discovered an unusual 2,000-year-old cemetery in Essex County, which may shed light on the life of the British nobility in the period before the Roman conquest, Phys.org wrote.
Excavations near Chelmsford revealed the cremated remains of more than 100 people, among which five were particularly wealthy.
The cemetery is a square area surrounded by a moat and dates mainly to the 1st century AD, a time when Britain was in transition from the Iron Age to the age of Roman influence in AD. After the invasion of Emperor Claudius in 43 AD.
Most of the dead were buried in plain urns, but five graves stood out from the rest. In them were large piles of burnt bones, surrounded by many objects that testified to the high status of the interred.
Among the finds are bronze vessels, ceramic jugs for wine, a glass cup, fragments of shoes with nails and fibula ornaments. A glass cup with a relief pattern, one of the earliest such objects to reach Britain, has attracted the special attention of scientists.
Archaeologists believe that these objects testify to the connections between the British tribal elite and the Roman Empire even before the official conquest of the island. The wine and valuables in the jars could have been part of diplomatic exchanges and served as a display of wealth and political influence.
"These burials could have been a way to show a particular community's affiliation, power and possible connections with Rome during a period of great change," the researchers noted.
In addition to the cemetery, archaeologists discovered remnants of the Iron Age landscape: at least three previously unknown settlements with roundhouses, fields, water basins, and outbuildings.
Now experts are studying the found materials to find out who were the people who were given such rich burials. Researchers hope to determine whether they were local rulers, military nobility, or members of an elite that maintained ties to Rome.
The findings may also help solve the mystery of another discovery in the region, a hoard of 935 Iron Age gold coins found at Great Beddow in 2020. Archaeologists do not rule out that there may be a connection between these two monuments.
Some of the artefacts will be featured in an exhibition at Chelmsford Museum dedicated to Essex's Iron Age wealth.
