Ælfwig may be buried in a Westminster Abbey sarcophagus — Live Science - UA.NEWS

Archaeologists suggest that one of two abbots was buried in a Roman sarcophagus at Westminster Abbey in England. Possible candidates include Ælfwig, who headed the abbey from 993 to 1020. Live Science reports. Roman sarcophagus with a medieval crossThe stone sarcophagus was found by the abbey’s chief mason in 1869. A fourth-century Latin funerary inscription dedicated to Valerius Amandinus has survived on its side. The text states that Valerius Superventor and Marcellus made the sarcophagus for their father. A large 11th-century Anglo-Saxon cross is carved on the sarcophagus lid. This indicated that the Roman sarcophagus was used for a new burial several centuries later. Until 2016, it was believed that no human remains had survived inside, but a complete skeleton was discovered when the sarcophagus was opened for conservation. Dating and possible candidatesIn a 2016 report, bioarchaeologist James Langthorne determined that the remains belonged to a middle-aged man of average height. The skeleton had been disturbed: there was a hole in the skull, and the bones of the arms and legs had become mixed up. The man also showed signs of osteoarthritis, two healed rib injuries and gout.