Roman ritual pits

History of the Roman ritual pits

CAS report 1999 ‘Roman Cambridge’ by Alexander and Pullinger describes the area in which ritual pits/shafts were found dating from the 3rd and 4th centuries.

There were at least 13 of these pits. Each one was deep and contained the body of a fox-terrier sized dog in the south corner, and a rush mat and a wicker basket containing marks of an infant burial. Only a few pieces of infant bone remained. In most shafts there were two burials, one above the other, and in five shafts there was a pair of shoes, of which only the studs remained, but of the size that would have fitted a 5 to 6 year old. The pits were filled up immediately after the burials.