THREE HUMAN BURIALS AT GREAT CHESTERFORD 343
The horses were buried to the immediate north-west and east
of the human burials. Horse no. 1 being to the east in a seperate
pit with a fill of brown clay, small flints and burnt patches. Only
the fragmentary skull, four cervical vertebrae and the forelegs
were recovered, the remainder being too close to the wall founda-
tions to be removed. Horse no. 2, which was only identified by its
fore-legs was buried in the same ditch as the humans. The re-
mainder of this beast presumably lies buried close to and partly
beneath a modern shed. There was no evidence to suggest that
either of these animals was in any way connected with the human
burials.
No finds were made in direct association with the human
burials, but all of the grave fills contained sherds of 1st century
A.D. and tile fragments derived from the layer mentioned above.
In the immediate area around the graves further sherds and
tile fragments and 26 brick tesserae were recovered. In addi-
tion to the sherds Burial II had in its fill 8 iron nails, 11 struck
flakes of flint and a bronze penannular brooch (less pin) and
Burial III, 2 struck flakes of flint and a small undecorated sherd
of Samian ware.
The Human Burials.
Burial I Supine, with arms at sides. Orientated north-west to
south-east with head to north-west. Almost complete skeleton
of a female aged 17-25 years. Age calculated on degree of molar
attrition ((Brothwell, 1963). Consisting of Skull and mandible
(broken during diggin of sewage-pipe trench), vertebrae, sca-
pulae, clavicles, sternum, ribs, pelvic girdle, humeri, ulnae, radii,
metacarpals and femora. (Lower legs and feet not recovered due
to their position beneath wall foundation).
Discontinuous morphological traits: Skull — lambdoid
ossicles present on both sides of the lambda. Mandible — mul-
tiple mental foramina at left side. Humeri — epitrochlear fora-
mina present.
The teeth are moderately crown-worn with slight deposits
of calculus. Of the fifteen remaining teeth, six are carious, the
lower left 1st molar and upper 3rd molar being almost reduced
to their roots. The enamel of the 2nd lower left pre-molar is
chipped, but it was impossible to determine whether this occured
before or after death.
Burial II Supine, with right arm bent and hand on pelvis and
lower left arm across chest. Orientated north-west to south-east
with head to south-east. Almost complete skeleton of a female
aged about 25 years. Consisting of skull and mandible, verte-
brae, scapulae, clavicles, sternum, ribs, pelvic girdle, humeri,
ulnae, radii, metacarpals, femora, patellae, fibulae, tibiae and
metatarsals. (Parts of the femora and all of the lower legs were
removed during the digging of the sewage-pipe trench, but were
largely recovered as fragments from the spoil heap).