(CNN) The remains of a Roman aristocrat have been unearthed by archaeologists in northern England.
The unidentified woman’s skeleton, believed to be more than 1,000 years old, was found in a lead coffin in a hidden Leeds city cemetery last year.
The remains of 62 people have been unearthed at the previously unknown archaeological site near Garforth. Men, women and 23 children were buried at the site uncovered by a team of archaeologists.
The dead are believed to include people from both the late Roman and early Saxon periods, as burial customs of both eras have been found in the tombs, according to a Leeds City Council press release issued on Monday.
David Hunter, chief archaeologist at West Yorkshire Joint Services, told CNN on Monday that the discovery emerged after a commercial developer applied to the council for planning permission.
An archaeological survey of the site – the precise location of which has not been released – led to the remains being found last spring.
“We certainly got more than we expected,” Hunter told CNN. He said his team had reason to believe the site might be of archaeological interest, having found Roman and Anglo-Saxon structures nearby during previous excavations. “But we didn’t expect to find a cemetery with 62 residents in this location,” he added.
Evidence of burial practices found at the site may point to early Christian beliefs, along with Saxon burial, the team said. They also found personal possessions such as knives and pottery.
The lead-lined coffin is considered “very rare” and is said to have contained a high-ranking woman.
Describing the lead coffin as “very rare,” Hunter said, “The lead sheet is the lining of a larger wooden coffin, so it’s a very high status Roman body.”
The coffin also contained jewelry, which fueled the team’s suspicions about the person buried inside.
Archaeologists hope the 1,600-year-old cemetery could help them understand the important and largely undocumented transition between the fall of the Roman Empire around 400 AD and the founding of the later Anglo-Saxon kingdoms.
According to the press release, after the Romans left Britain, West Yorkshire was in the Kingdom of Elmet, located between the Wharfe and Don valleys, the Vale of York and the Pennines.
Even after the Romans left, many areas, including Elmet, continued to display elements of Roman culture alongside that of the Anglo-Saxons. That lasted around 200 years.
Hunter described the dig as “extraordinary” and said in the press release: “This has the potential to be a find of enormous importance for what we understand about the development of ancient Britain and Yorkshire.
“The existence of two communities using the same burial site is highly unusual, and whether or not their uses of this cemetery overlapped will determine the significance of the find.”
The previously undiscovered remains included men, women and children.
The remains will undergo testing and analysis, including carbon dating, which the team hopes will help pinpoint precise timeframes, as well as details about each individual’s diet and ancestry.
Excavations at the site were prompted in part by the fact that previous excavations in the nearby area had uncovered late Roman stone buildings and a small number of Anglo-Saxon style buildings. The results have only just been released as the site had to be secured in order for initial testing to begin.
Kylie Buxton, site supervisor, said in the press release: “It is every archaeologist’s dream to work at a ‘unique’ site and supervising this excavation is definitely a career highlight for me.”
Once analysis of the find is complete – a process which Hunter says could take a year or two – the lead coffin is expected to be displayed at Leeds City Museum.