Home / Science / Medieval Abbot's Identity Solved in Abbey Sarcophagus
Medieval Abbot's Identity Solved in Abbey Sarcophagus
21 Oct
Summary
- Skeleton found in Roman sarcophagus likely belonged to a medieval abbot.
- Radiocarbon dating places bones from late 10th or early 11th century.
- Sarcophagus was repurposed and reburied multiple times.
- Archaeologist Prof Warwick Rodwell identified potential abbots Ælfwig or Wulfnoth.
The remains of an unknown man found within a Roman sarcophagus at Westminster Abbey have likely been identified as those of an 11th-century abbot. The sarcophagus, originally dating to the fourth century and inscribed to Valerius Amandinus, was discovered in 1820 and excavated in 1869. Its contents, a skeleton, were confirmed in 2018 during preparations to display the sarcophagus.
Radiocarbon dating of the skeleton indicates it originated from the late 10th or early 11th century. Archaeologist Prof Warwick Rodwell proposes that the remains belong to a high-ranking ecclesiastic, such as Abbot Ælfwig or Abbot Wulfnoth, who died around 1020 or 1049 respectively. The presence of a large, carved cross on the lid, identified as a late Anglo-Saxon modification, further supports this conclusion.
Further analysis revealed the skeleton was likely interred in a wooden coffin within the sarcophagus, with the body possibly covered in powdered lime. The sarcophagus itself appears to have been re-used and reburied multiple times, possibly serving as a floor slab within the abbey church before being moved during construction work in the Henry III period.
