BURIAL grounds found on the future site of the A2 in Kent has made the area one of the most important sites of Roman Britain.

Archaeological surveys commissioned on the Gravesend site of the Highways Agency's £122m Pepperhill to Cobham widening scheme revealed the site was inhabited by high-status Romans.

The find has put Gravesend in the same league as important Roman cities such as Colchester in Essex and St Albans in Hertfordshire.

Archaelogical examinations along the line of the Channel Tunnel Rail Link had indicated there was a Roman enclosure on the route.

However, previous discoveries suggested the site could be a rural farmstead, says archaeologist Tim Allen.

The survey unearthed the burial ground of three high-status Romans, containing cremation remains, decorated bronze wear, clay vessels and fashion accesssories.

Mr Allen said: "At first we found very little, but at the bottom of a pit we came across the metal handles of a wooden board and later a set of 23 glass counters and two bone dice, suggesting that we had found a gaming board.

"These finds are rare, and mostly occur in graves, so we carefully took down the other half of the pit and sure enough, it was full of grave offerings.

"These include the skeletal remains of half a pig, presumably offered as food for the afterlife."

"The only other similar burial sites in Britain are found close to the largest and most important early Roman cities, such as at Colchester in Essex and St Albans in Hertfordshire."

Mr Allen said the find made the area one of Roman Britain's most important sites.

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