Woman's Skeleton Excavated in British Roman Garrison

She's not exactly a "lost lady of Rome." She might be Roman, or she might be a Romanized native. Only DNA tests will tell us for certain. And she wasn't lost. She was buried in a quite expensive (at the time) lead coffin, which indicates that she was a woman of status and wealth; if she'd been a truly "lost" lady, it's unlikely she would have been buried in such a manner! Explicit photos of the lady's remains are included in the article, but are not published here. Found in a farmer's field: The 2,000-year-old skeleton of the lost lady of Rome By CHRIS BROOKE - Last updated at 09:14am on 23rd November 2007 In her lifetime she was a member of a wealthy family based in a bustling British outpost of the world's mightiest empire. The imperial glory has long faded. But, almost 2,000 years on, archaeologists have discovered a corner of an English field that is forever Rome. They have unearthed a coffin containing a remarkably well-preserved skeleton in the village of Aldborough, near Boroughbridge, North Yorkshire - once the site of a major Roman town, Isurium Brigantium. The archaeologists, conducting a two-week excavation project, were searching for Roman artefacts with a metal detector when they found the 6ft lead coffin inside a stone chamber only 12in below the surface of a barley field. The skeleton is believed to date from between the 2nd and 4th centuries, and is largely intact. It is over 5ft long and even has a full set of teeth. Experts have yet to scientifically age or sex the remains, but are confident it is a woman from a well-to-do family - her status reflected in the expensive coffin. Analysis of the skeleton may yield fascinating information about her lifestyle and diet.