Construction work in London unearths Roman-era skulls

LONDON, Oct. 2 (UPI) -- Construction workers digging a tunnel for a rail route through London have unearthed about 20 Roman-era skulls, officials say.

Tunnelers working on the city's Crossrail project found the skulls deep beneath a 16th century burial ground in the center of the city, CNN reported Wednesday.

Archaeologists studying the find said they believe the skulls were washed downstream along the historic river channel of the River Walbrook, a tributary of the River Thames.

"We now think the skulls are possibly from a known Roman burial ground about 50 meters upriver from our Liverpool Street station work site," archaeologist Jay Carver said. "Their location in the Roman layer indicates they were possibly washed down river during the Roman period."

Skulls from the Roman era have been uncovered along the path of the River Thames throughout London's history, fueling speculation they were the heads of the victims of rebels fighting Roman occupation, he said.

Since the rail line project began in 2009 more than 10,000 archaeological items have been found across 40 project construction sites, Crossrail officials said.