BONES from a fourth century Roman cemetery are the first to have been scientifically proven to be part of a family burial site.

Scientists from Essex University used ancient DNA analysis to assess the bones from the Butt Road Roman cemetery in Colchester.

The plot is notable for spanning the period between Roman paganism to Christianity, with north-south pagan burials overlain by a late Roman Christian cemetery in which the burials are oriented east-west.

Previous research had suggested the existence of family plots in the Christian level, although proving it definitively proved to be a major difficulty.

The new study, published in Frontiers in Genetics, is the first time family groupings in a Roman cemetery has been scientifically proved.

Professor Nelson Fernández, who led the Essex team, took DNA from the femur bones of 29 skeletons found in the cemetery.

Prof Fernández said: “In recent years, DNA analysis has breathed new life into archaeology as it is such a powerful research tool.

“It means we have been able to for the first time scientifically prove the long-held theory there were family burial areas at the Butt Road Roman cemetery by showing they shared the same inherited genetic markers.”

Experts say, as Britain’s oldest recorded town, Roman Colchester had a number of areas which were clearly used solely as cemeteries.

The Butt Road Roman cemetery is one of the largest excavated Romano-British cemeteries and is associated with a church building, probably the earliest known in Britain.

Experts can say skeletons are related by examining mitochondrial DNA and human leukocyte antigen which can show the tissues of one person closely matching those of another person.

Using both approaches, the scientists found the individuals buried within the vault at Butt Road were interrelated