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#ThrowbackThursday Handford House
May
For #ThrowbackThursday today, let’s throwback to our excavation at the site of the demolished Handford House, Queens Road, Colchester, Essex 
This site was located where burials have been recorded previously, so we were expecting that there may be more to find. We excavated here in 2003-5, and revealed 68 burials in total which have extended our knowledge of early Roman burial practices and beliefs.
Of the 57 cremation burials, 35 were definitely urned, either in a ceramic or glass vessel or in a wooden jewellery box. At least three of the cremations burials contained pots which had been deliberately broken, post cremation. The site offered lots of other interesting finds, including picture lamps. The one pictured shows a lion 
fighting a crocodile 
Fun fact: During the Roman period almost all burials were beyond the town walls which we think was a disease-reducing practice 
Enjoy pictures of the steps taken to excavate a rather large amphora on site!
#CATadventure #Colchester #Essex #RomanArchaeology #RomanCircus #RomanHistory #CommercialArchaeology #Fieldwork #ArchaeologyFieldwork
