REQUIESCAT IN PACE Burial Rites in Roman Londinium with Jane Sidell Sunday 16th October 2022 at 3:30 pm Londinium was the capital of Roman Britain and a major commercial centre for much of the Roman rule from Julius Caesar’s landing in 49 BC until their departure in the fifth century AD. The invaders brought with them many of their customs, including those for burial. Wealthy Roman citizens would commission elaborate tombs, the middle classes would join “burial clubs” while the bodies of the poor were dumped unceremoniously in open pits. Jane Siddell Jane Sidell has been working as an archaeologist in London for more than 25 years, and has an abiding passion for telling stories about London’s past residents. She is currently Inspector of Ancient Monuments for London, employed by Historic England, following a decade at the Museum of London. She has been involved in cemetery excavation and conservation for some time, knowing that such sites are where the best information on our ancestors comes from, both the skeletal remains, but also design and layout of cemeteries, and how they have been used. She was lucky enough to work on the Spitalfields site, including the famous ‘Roman Princess’. Image credit - a grave showing a skeleton during excavation, before its removal. Photograph, 19--.Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0). |
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