Between the second to fourth centuries, thousands of Roman Londoners were buried just outside the City wall. Roman Law stated that burials could not take place within a settlement of the Roman Empire, anf this is why the Eastern Cemetery is found at the border of the AldgateTower ward area. This burial site was rediscovered in 1678 when a large quantity of urns were discovered in what is now Goodman's Yard. It wasn't until more recent times that the full extent of the 16 hectare cemetery was unearthed. Several excavations have so far shown 550 burials, with 134 being cremations. Burial plots showed demarcation of graves, which implies they may have been divided by religion or tribe. Only 5% of the skeletons showed signs of poor nutrition, evidence of their diet shows that oysters were a staple of the diet as well as grapes and figs. Chronic respiratory problems were common as living conditions were cramped, with lethal levels of indoor pollution from the fires. - So perhaps a reminder of the importance of the concern with clean air today!