1,900-year-old grave found of horse who may have been a favourite of his Roman owner

A horse who was carefully buried nearly 1,900 years ago may have been the beloved partner of a Roman gentleman farmer, it is thought.

The skeleton of an animal smaller than many of today’s horses was found on the site of a Roman villa near Langport, Somerset. Thames Valley Archaeological Services (TVAS) has been excavating since the start of this year, in a project overseen by Armour Heritage (Frome) and funded by the Abri housing association, which is building 100 homes on the greenfield site.

Former journalist and archaeology enthusiast Tina Rowe told H&H the horse was lying in a “naturalistic pose, as if stepping forward with head raised”.

“The position suggests it was buried with care,” she said. “Burials of horses are rare on Roman sites and archaeologists believe it may have been especially important to its owner.”

A TVAS spokesperson said the highlight of the discoveries so far is a Roman villa with at least six rooms, dated from coin discoveries to between the first and third centuries. Around it are rain collection pools, drainage, a corn dryer, numerous grain storage pits and the supports of a vanished barn or granary, suggesting the house was the centre of a productive arable farm as well as the home of its owner.

“Excavations are still ongoing and fantastic discoveries are still being made, the latest of which includes a horse burial,” he said, adding that other finds include fragments of pottery and animal bones, and personal items such as brooches, bone pins, belt buckles, gaming pieces and metal tweezers.

“Discoveries will continue to be made, and information gained during the post-excavation processes culminating in a full publication report.”

• To stay up to date with all the breaking news from major shows throughout 2025, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

You may also be interested in:

Rider’s ‘mounting block’ identified as 2,000-year-old Roman marble slab

Soldier’s grief at horse’s death shown 1,800 years later as Roman skeleton found with grave gifts

‘Truly incredible venue’: horse sport returns to ancient Roman stadium for first time in +2,000 years

Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

Eleanor Jones

H&H news editor

Eleanor is an experienced journalist who spent over eight years working for local and national newspapers before joining H&H as news editor in March 2016. Passionate about equine welfare and exposing the truth, Eleanor has reported on all aspects of the industry, from Brexit to anti-bullying campaigns, and from dressage rules to mules. Her sport of choice is showjumping, in which she competes her own horses, and she also enjoys reporting at local jumping shows through to international championships.