Ancient Roman burial plot unearthed on the site of new Somerset school

An ancient Roman burial plot has been unearthed on the site of a new school in Somerset.

Work on the 14-class primary in Somerton had to be delayed while archaeologists excavated around 50 graves of adults and children.

Somerton is the ancient capital of Wessex.

The graves were dug into the bedrock and lined with stone ‘curbs’ to create a coffin structure.

The burials were of adults and children and included grave goods such as pottery and brooches.

The site archaeology has been carefully gathered for further scientific analysis.

A full report of the findings will be published in due course.

It is hoped that the discoveries can be used to teach pupils about the history of the area.