48th CES exhumes Roman remains

Courtesy Photo | Remains of a child, believed to be from the Iron Age Dec. 13, 2022, at Royal Air Force Lakenheath, England. (U.S. Air Force photo by Simon Milne)  

BRANDON, SFK, UNITED KINGDOM

02.06.2023

Courtesy Story

48th Fighter Wing

In early December 2022, archaeological items were unearthed while excavating for the 48th Civil Engineer Squadron’s construction of a new airfield lighting vault.

Archeological findings are common on RAF Lakenheath, given the history of the area. As such, 48 CES partners with the UK Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) to keep an archeological firm called Cotswold Archaeology on retainer to properly excavate and document findings.

The $3.9 million CE project was paused and a swift archeological dig was performed at the site. Historically, these digs take five to six weeks.

The examination of the project site revealed several items including remains of an adult and a child, fragments of pottery, and a key, all believed to be Roman occupation finds dating from around 2000 years ago.

Cotswold Archaeology routinely performs a “Watching Brief” on excavations of interest. Watching Briefs entail a member of Cotswold Archaeology observing for variations in ground color as layers of earth from the excavation site are scrapped off. Previously disturbed or excavated ground (as caused by fence posts, foundations, etc.) is usually replaced over time by a different type of soil, leading to differences in ground color that are visible today.

All archeological findings on RAF Lakenheath are property of the United Kingdom. The archaeological team obtained a license from the UK Ministry of Justice to remove the remains from the site.

Thanks to the great working relationship between 48 CES and DIO, work resumed on the airfield lighting vault after just an 8-day contractual delay and the project is on track to complete on schedule.

• Date Taken: 02.06.2023
• Date Posted: 02.10.2023 05:29
• Story ID: 438245
• Location: BRANDON, SFK, GB