Roman Sarcophagus at Westminster Abbey Reused for Medieval Monk

Human remains discovered inside a Roman sarcophagus at Westminster Abbey may belong to a medieval monk, Archaeology Magazine reported. Warwick Rodwell, a consultant archaeologist at Westminster Abbey, analyzed the sarcophagus and its contents. The stone coffin bears an inscription for Valerius Amandinus, a wealthy Briton who lived between approximately A.D. 300 and 400. However, a Latin cross dated to the tenth or eleventh century is inscribed on the lid, indicating that the sarcophagus was reused during the medieval period. [1]

Discrepancies exist across reports regarding when the sarcophagus was excavated. Archaeology Magazine stated that the sarcophagus was found in 1820. In contrast, reports from The Times of India and Smithsonian Magazine indicated that the Roman sarcophagus was excavated at Westminster Abbey in 1869. [1][3][4]

Scientific analysis helped resolve the origin of the remains found inside the coffin. According to Archaeology Magazine, radiocarbon dating, which measures the decay of carbon-14 isotopes to estimate the age of organic material, was conducted on the skeleton. The testing confirmed that the individual died during the medieval era rather than during the Roman period. [1]

Westminster Abbey is an Anglican church located in London, England, that has served as a royal burial and coronation site since 1066. In Roman funerary practice, carved limestone and marble sarcophagi were characteristic of elite inhumation burials from the second to the fourth centuries A.D. [6][7]