Human skull dug up in Alderney could be Roman
A HUMAN skull found by workmen digging a trench for water and electricity cables in Alderney at Longis could date back to Roman times.
It was discovered on Monday afternoon on Rue des Mielles, between an Iron Age pottery site and Coastguards, about a metre under the road.
The skull was smashed during excavation but its teeth are still intact.
Two pieces of what are believed to be fragments of bones from the upper femur were also found but no artefacts were recovered.
One of the utility engineers said: 'It appeared very old but it had a perfect set of teeth. It was fairly small.'
The bones were collected by workmen and taken to the police.
At about 4.15pm they sealed off the area and guarded it overnight in case it was a crime scene.
Alderney Police contacted a dentist, who confirmed that the teeth were human.
They then got hold of Dr Jason Monaghan, director of Guernsey Museums, who advised they summon local archaeologist Dr Isabel Picornell.
Dr Picornell went to the police station to examine the bones and then to the site from which the skull was recovered.
A second small piece of leg bone was discovered but there were no scraps of metal or leather.
The size of the skull and unworn condition of the teeth suggested that it was not a baby, but a juvenile or young adult.
But it was obviously pre-Second World War as the road it was found beneath was built by the Germans, so the police were stood down.
