the CAG uncover burials at the Officers’ Club in Colchester

Last week (Tuesday, 29th September), the Colchester Archaeological Group (CAG) lifted a small set of human bones from a trench on their site at the Officers’ Club. The site is not far from Roman Circus House and also our current archaeological site at the Flagstaff House complex of buildings in the old garrison. The CAG site is within the St John’s abbey precinct, and it includes an interesting earth mound. Surprisingly, not much archaeological material has been excavated on the site, probably because of large-scale earth-moving operations during the abbey’s history.

The work here started at the beginning of July. There are two trenches which have been excavated for a speculative investigation to try and find the site of a suggested Roman amphitheatre, and it is generously being undertaken by volunteer excavators from the CAG on the Trust’s behalf and under our supervision. The trenches have not produced any evidence of an amphitheatre… However, in Trench A, near the mound, the CAG have uncovered parts of two human skeletons. These may represent the remains of victims of the Plague, which would suggest that the mound is a Plague feature: however, Trust director Philip thinks that these skeletons are Roman, as they were not buried on an east-west alignment.

The small set of bones which was lifted from Trench B last week represent, sadly, the burial of a toddler or infant. The burial is archaeologically interesting, as the bones may have been buried in a small box, and the burial included two small, upright, pottery jars which had broken pottery used as their lids. The burial can be dated to probably the late 3rd century, ie late Roman, by the pottery. When they were buried, the covered jars may have contained food and drink for the deceased’s journey to the afterlife.

With thanks to Taylor Wimpey, English Heritage, the Officers’ Club, the CAG, and the Council for British Archaeology’s Mick Aston Archaeology Fund, which is supported by English Heritage.

The image shows CAG and Trust volunteer Catherine with the two jars of the child burial, one still with its lid on, before the discovery of the bones.
The jars create a vivid image of a grieving family in Roman Colchester, making this burial with much care, and the moment when one individual placed that lid on that jar…

*** The CAG present a series of weekly winter lectures, and the first lecture of their 2015/2016 season is this evening – 5th October – and, for the very first time, the CAG lectures will be presented here at Roman Circus House! The lectures are open to non-CAG members. Tonight’s meeting consists of the CAG Annual General Meeting followed by a talk by Mark Davies: ‘When the Roman army came to Camulodunum’. Doors open at 7.00pm; tea and coffee will be available before the meeting starts at 7.30pm.

For more information on the current lecture series and admission prices, please go to the CAG web-site at http://caguk.net/talks/#sthash.jFd1s1vs.dpuflecture .

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