Archaeologists have uncovered what is believed to be the only inscribed tomb and matching remains ever found from Roman Britain.

The discovery of the limestone tombstone and skull was found while excavating a car park in Cirencester and they are believed to date back to between the 1st and 3rd centuries.

And based on inscriptions the grave is believed to have belonged to a 27-year-old female called Bodica. 

Archaeologists have uncovered what is believed to be the only inscribed tomb and matching remains ever found from Roman Britain. The inscription on the stone reads: ‘DM [Dis Manibus, in the hands of God], Bodica, the wife lived years: 27’ and it was found under a car park in Cirencester

Despite the similar name, it is unlikely to be Queen Boudica because her Iceni tribe was centred further east in Norwich and she was said to be have been in her 30s when she died. PUBBLICITÀ

The experts said it is also rare to find a stone with such an ornate inscription in the UK.

Archaeologists from Cotswold Archaeology are excavating the former Bridges Garage site on Tetbury Road in Cirencester ahead of planned building work in the area. 

The location would have been known as Corinium at the time of the burial and it was the second largest town in Roman Britain.  

According to the archaeologists, the inscription on the stone reads: ‘DM [Dis Manibus, in the hands of God], Bodica, the wife lived years: 27.’

However, an alternative translation is that DIS is plural (‘to Gods’), whereas the singular would be DEO; and ‘of God’ would be DEI.

Secondly, MANIBVS is said to be be related to the word MANVS ‘hand’, but is from MANES, deities thought to represent the souls of the departed. 

The alternative translation is therefore: ‘for the Manes gods’ or ‘to the Manes gods’. 

The abbreviation DM, although related to pre-Christan Roman religion was also used on early Chrstian tombstones. 

Archaeologist Neil Holbrook said: ‘As an archaeologist, I always get asked what is the best thing I have ever found; well now I have the answer to that. 5

The 4ft-tall (1.2 metre) and 2ft-wide (0.6 metre) tomb was first spotted on Tuesday night. It was lying face down and its ornate triangle-shaped top suggested to the team that it may be a tombstone. When they lifted it from the ground they found it resting on an adult skull (pictured) said to be the person inscribed on the stone

The stone is thought to date from between the 1st and 3rd centuries and has Roman letters and lines of Latin. Archaeologist Neil Holbrook said he believes it is the only example in Roman Britain of a tombstone that has someone’s name on it with their remains underneath

‘We think it is the only example in Roman Britain of a tombstone that has someone’s name on it, and then their remains underneath.

‘We think this because it seems to have fallen on top of their body. The stone was on top of the skull. This is a really, really rare discovery.

‘When we lifted it out, you could have cut the atmosphere with a knife.’

Archaeologists from Cotswold Archaeology are excavating the former Bridges Garage site on Tetbury Road in Cirencester (pictured) ahead of planned building work in the area. The location would have been known as Corinium at the time of the burial and it was the second largest town in Roman Britain

The team were called in to investigate the area ahead of work to build a new office block by a wealth management company just after Christmas. 

They previously uncovered 75 burial sites, as well as a bronze cockerel being cradled by a young boy at the site in 2011, and think the plot was a burial ground for the Roman elite of Cirencester.

The 4ft-tall (1.2 metre) and 2ft-wide (0.6 metre) tomb was first spotted on Tuesday night. 

It was lying face down and its ornate triangle-shaped top suggested to the team that it may be a tombstone. 

THE BRONZE COCKEREL AND ITS MESSAGE TO THE GODS 

The archaeologists have previously uncovered 75 burial sites, as well as a bronze cockerel (pictured) being cradled by a young girl at the site in 2011

Archaeologists from Cotswold Archaeology are excavating the former Bridges Garage site on Tetbury Road in Cirencester ahead of planned building work in the area. 

They previously uncovered 75 burial sites, as well as a bronze cockerel being cradled by a young girl at the site in 2011, and think the plot was a burial ground for the Roman elite of Cirencester.

The child was buried wearing hobnailed shoes and was accompanied by a pottery feeding vessel, and the remarkable enamelled bronze figurine of a cockerel.

The cockerel is 5-inches tall (12.5cm) and the breast, wings, eyes and ‘comb’ are inlaid with enamel, which now appears blue and green.

There is a separately moulded tail plate, also enamelled, with ‘openwork’ decoration.

The beak is shown open, in the act of crowing.

It is believed that the Romans gave religious significance to the cockerel which was known to be connected with Mercury.

Experts claim it was Mercury, a messenger to the gods, that was also responsible for conducting newly-deceased souls to the afterlife.

Statues of this god, including one in the Corinium Museum, commonly show a cockerel at the base.

The association probably stems from Mercury’s role as the messenger to the gods and that of the cockerel as ‘announcer’ of the new dawn.

Mercury was also the ‘herdsman for the dead’, guiding newly deceased souls on their passage to the afterlife.

It is therefore possible that the cockerel was an offering by a devotee of Mercury and expresses a parent’s particular concern to ensure safe transit of a loved one into the after world.

The bronze and enamel cockerel (pictured) was said to have been placed in the grave of the two-year-old Roman girl by her parents, and experts believe it was used to ask the Gods to protect her. They also believe the expensive gift was placed in the grave to ease their daughter’s transition into the ‘next world’

When they lifted it from the ground they discovered it was resting on an adult skull though to be the woman inscribed on the stone.

Around 100 tombstones have been found from Roman Britain but this is the best preserved and is the only one thought to mark the person found beneath.

Mr Holbrook added: ‘We saw the back of the tombstone, but we didn’t know of the significance.

‘We thought it was something, because of the shape of it, but we couldn’t be sure.

Experts said the stone is lucky to have survived because Roman tombstones were often taken away and re-purposed in buildings during the Medieval period. A garage was also built on the site (excavation plans shown) in the 1960s and the stone survived being destroyed by a beam laid during construction

‘But [Wednesday] was the amazing moment – that’s when we knew it really was something, but it surpassed all our expectations.

‘We have the potential to be uncovering one of the biggest finds of archaeology this year.’

The stone is thought to date from between the 1st and 3rd centuries and has Roman letters and lines of Latin.

The team said it is lucky to have survived intact because Roman tombstones were often taken away and re-purposed in buildings in Cirencester during the the Medieval period.

A garage was also built on the site in the 1960s and the stone survived being destroyed by a beam which was laid during construction just a few inches above.

‘This stone might have fallen over quite quickly, and was covered over, and that’s why it escaped the stone robbers,’ Mr Holbrook added.

The tombstone and the remains will now be taken away to be analysed and dated by experts.

Experts believe the bones belong to a woman called Bodica who died in Roman times 

The skeleton was found close to a Roman tombstone in Cirencester, Gloucestershire and is unique

The Latin inscription reads ‘In the hands of God, Bodica, the wife lived years: 27’ 

The bones are thought to be 1,800 years old but will be taken away for further examination 

The tombstone, pictured, is believed to have been made from Cotswold limestone 

Experts very excited by the intricate carving on the tombstone which is highly unusual

The remains were discovered during the excavation of a car park in Cirencester, Gloucestershire 

Experts believe that it is highly unlikely that the grave site is that of Queen Bodica