UK man discovers Roman-era grave

A man in the UK who went exploring with a metal detector made the discovery of a lifetime when he stumbled upon an exquisitely preserved Roman-era grave filled with artifacts, including bronze jugs and coins dating to about AD 200.
Phil Kirk, found the grave in a field in Kelshall, a small village located between London and Cambridge.
He had once found a Roman coin in the same field, and had a hunch that there were more Roman artifacts nearby.
Kirk used the metal detector in October last year to find a buried bronze jug that stood roughly 10 inches tall. Next, he pulled out a bronze patera (a dish used for pouring wine or blood libations) and two other jugs.

Kirk contacted local experts and told them about the findings. They returned to the spot later that month and in November and found even more artifacts: a bronze pin, an iron lamp, glassware and bottles of different shapes.
They also found a large hexagonal bottle stuffed full with cremated bone, 'Live Science' reported.

"Suddenly, that explained everything. We were looking at a wealthy burial," said Keith Fitzpatrick-Matthews, the archaeology and outreach officer for the North Hertfordshire District Council.
The entire grave measures about 6.2 feet by 5.2 feet and contains a plethora of Roman artifacts. Researchers also found hobnails, which are small iron nails used on the soles of leather sandals.

The sandals had straps that people would tie around their legs, but the sandals must have decayed over the ages.
"The idea of providing footwear in a Roman grave is that the journey to the underworld, taken by the soul after death, is taken on foot to the River Styx, where you're ferried across," Fitzpatrick-Matthews said.
The archaeologists also found mosaic glass plates, possibly from Egypt or western Europe; a small piece of lava; and the remains of a wooden box containing two glass cups.
A silver coin, called a denarius, sat inside the box and likely slowed the wood's decomposition, Fitzpatrick-Matthews said. The coin features Emperor Trajan, who ruled Rome from AD 98 to AD 117.

A second coin helped them date the grave. The worn bronze coin sat inside the cremation urn.
It likely served as payment for Charon, the man thought to ferry people across the River Styx, Fitzpatrick-Matthews said. Emperor Marcus Aurelius issued the coin in the AD 170s, he said.
"The fact that it's worn means it was a good 20 to 30 years old by the time it got into the ground, which gives us a really nice date for the burial ground - about 200," Fitzpatrick-Matthews said.