Fossil Hunter

A dinosaur bone dug up on The Site of a new development was probably part of an ancient Roman Fossil Hunter 's collection, archaeologists said.

The vertebrae from a plesiosaur, a " " that became extinct 66 million years ago, was found in the north of Cambridge.

Staff from Oxford Archaeology found the bone among A Number of Roman items including pottery and animal bones.

They said it was likely to have been " curated" by an avid Roman fossil fan.

The items found at the two sites in The King 's Hedges area of Cambridge date from the mid-2nd to the late 4Th Century AD.

The Roman Remains were preserved beneath the existing car parks and garages at Aragon Close and Sackville Close.

" The shallow footings of the garages have meant that the archaeological features have been well preserved and many of the finds are in excellent condition, " a spokesman said.

" The Remains discovered consist of ditches and pits, a potential structure, and several Roman burials. "

However, The Discovery of the plesiosaur bone was " remarkable" The Team said.

Andrew Greef, senior Project Manager at Oxford Archaeology, said: " As archaeologists We Are often asked by members of The Public if we have found any dinosaur bones and on this occasion, we actually found one. "

He Said the bone was worn in places, suggesting it had been handled often in The Past .

" We've got enough evidence to show The Romans found these things, but you can only imagine what they might have thought they had, " he added.

The items from the archaeological dig will eventually be given to Cambridgeshire County Council once they have been cleaned and recorded.

Source of news: bbc.com