AN archaeological excavation in Winchester of one of the largest Roman cemeteries in the country is giving experts a valuable insight into the lives of our ancestors.

The county council organised the dig as part of a major redevelopment which included the building of Osborne School (formerly Lankhills).

Archaeologists from Oxford Archaeology have, with local volunteers, uncovered a further series of burials and cremations from the last years of Roman rule in Britain.

Continuing the work of earlier excavations in the 1960s, 1970s and 2000, the current project involves removing burials which would otherwise be disturbed by development. Eventually it is hoped that the remains will be reinterred on the site of the new school.

Examination of the graves and DNA analysis of the skeletons will help research into how our ancestors lived, their diet, life expectancy, traditions and ethnic origins.

Many of the people were buried with ceramic or glass flagons, coins and other personal items including knives and hair pins.

Of particular interest is a group of adult male burials where the burial practices were similar to those in other parts of the Roman Empire, notably in the region of the Danube river in eastern Europe.

The site has been declared surplus to the council's requirements and is being sold for redevelopment.