A unique Anglo-Saxon burial site has been found beneath a Cambridge student hall of residence

An early medieval cemetery with more than 60 graves and 700 preserved artefacts from the period between 400 and 650 AD was discovered under a recently demolished university student dormitory. Iron Age structures and traces of Roman earthworks have also been identified on the site.

Since the 19th century archaeologists have believed that an early medieval/Anglo-Saxon cemetery existed in West Cambridge. The buildings in Croft Gardens, which until recently housed the school's students and staff, were demolished last summer to make way for a more modern development. This has therefore allowed a team from Albion Archaeology to explore the site comprehensively for the first time before it begins. The salvage excavation uncovered over 60 graves with more than 700 artefacts, including bronze brooches, beaded necklaces, a sword, knives, pottery and glass flasks.

Dr Sam Lucy, an archaeologist specialising in the Middle Ages from the University of Cambridge, said the discovery of graves from different periods was "very unusual and really interesting". Most date from the early medieval period in the 4th to 7th centuries AD, when the Anglo-Saxons lived more in the east of England, but according to Dr. Lucy there was "a small group that may have been late Roman". And she added that deeper, stone-lined graves "are not usually an early medieval practice".

"In Anglo-Saxon graves, people tended to be buried fully clothed, with their brooches and beads holding the various items of clothing together," the doctor said. "Some have spears and the remains of shields."' She said the discovery had 'huge potential for further research and possible uncovering what was happening in the Cambridge area during this particular period'.

Archaeologists are surprised at how good a condition they found the cemetery in. Dr Caroline Goodson, a lecturer in early medieval history at King's College, said the human remains found were remarkably well preserved due to the alkaline soil here.

Although Cambridge was a Roman city, the people buried at the site were more likely to be "the general population living in villages", Dr Lucy said. "We're getting a really nice picture of the community and how it died. We're trying to use that to learn about how they lived their lives as well," she added.

King's College has decided to fund a four-year research fellowship on late medieval and early Roman Britain to help with the exploration of the site. Researchers are now studying the remains, textiles and other buried possessions to find out what the origins of thepopulation, what they did for a living, what diseases they suffered, what injuries they had, and what their lifestyle was like.

Croft Gardens will become accommodation for postgraduate students. The new building is due for completion in 2022.

Roman Nemec

Sources: bbc.com, medievalarchives.com, theguardian.com, dailymail.co.uk