Westminster Abbey finds monk buried in Roman sarcophagus

Archaeologists working at Westminster Abbey in London discovered a monk buried inside a Roman-era limestone sarcophagus originally intended for Valerius Amandinus, a wealthy Briton who lived between 300 and 400 AD.

The sarcophagus was found in the 19th century, but researchers recently determined the later burial occurred during the early Anglo-Saxon period. Investigators are now focusing on two named abbots as potential candidates for the monk interred within the ancient coffin.

The finding resolves a 150-year-old mystery surrounding the skeleton’s identity.