A centuries-old stone coffin discovered more than 150 years ago at London’s Westminster Abbey sparked a question that has endured ever since: Who’s inside? Now, archaeologists have clues that point to a respected medieval figure who was not the burial’s original occupant.
Prior research had determined that the sarcophagus dated to the Roman period, around the fourth century, and a three-line Latin inscription dedicated it “to the memory of Valerius Amandinus.” Given the coffin’s high quality, Amandinus was probably an important resident of London, but nothing is known about his life and deeds.
