UK Spitalfields skeleton a high ranking Roman woman

A noble young Roman woman who lived in the fourth century was buried under what is now a market in London. She was in her early 20s and grew up in Italy. Her body was discovered in March 1999 under London's Spitalfields Market. The body was found in a decorated lead coffin that itself was placed inside a stone sarcophagus, indicating she was someone of great wealth and status.

She was embalmed with expensive Mediterranean and Middle Eastern oils and resins, and wrapped in a silk garment interwoven with fine gold thread. Her burial clothing was found to be purple — a hallmark strictly reserved for Roman elite.