Casgliadau Arlein

Skeleton of a man from a bath stone coffin.

Skeleton of a Roman man found on the site of a Roman cemetery just outside Caerleon. Made from a solid block of Bath stone, the coffin also contained the remains of grave goods that he would need for their next life, including the base of a shale bowl and fragments of a glass perfume or ointment bottle. The coffin dates to about 200 AD.

A tooth from the skeleton was sent away to find out more about where he came from.

The chemical make up of our teeth varies with our diet and depends upon the sources of our food and drink. Scientists can determine where people come from because our teeth have different levels of chemicals depending on where we grew up. Measuring these chemical atoms in human teeth can usually help us work out where a person is from.

The results from the tooth of our Roman man showed that he probably grew up in the Newport area, a local boy!