Unique bone box found in Roman-era grave

"It is petite at 2.7 inches long, 1.3 inches wide and 1.2 inches deep and is intact in excellent condition. It has a sliding lid and is decorated with the ring and dot pattern like the marks on Roman playing dice. It was crafted from the bone of a Roe deer. The style of decoration suggested a late Roman date, and this was confirmed by radiocarbon dating of the human remains found in the grave."

"A unique box carved out of bone has been discovered in a Late Roman grave in Broadway, Worcestershire. There is no comparable example of such a box known on the archaeological record. The Milestone Ground site in Broadway in England's north Cotswolds is being excavated by a team from Worcestershire Archaeology ahead of planned development. Archaeological remains indicate human occupation in the area going back 8,000 years, from the Mesolithic era through the Anglo-Saxon Middle Ages."

The Milestone Ground site in Broadway, north Cotswolds, is under excavation ahead of planned development. A unique, intact bone box carved from Roe deer was recovered from a Late Roman grave of a young woman. The box measures 2.7 by 1.3 by 1.2 inches, features a sliding lid and ring-and-dot decoration similar to Roman dice, and displays exceptional craftsmanship. Radiocarbon dating of the human remains confirms a late Roman date. The object was carefully placed in the burial and likely served as a container for ointment or cosmetics. Archaeological remains show site occupation from the Mesolithic through the Anglo-Saxon Middle Ages.

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