TWO of the most important archaeological finds of the past decade have been found in the region according to Historic England.

The conservation group revealed its top ten finds since 2010 included new revelations about the Roman Settlement at Scotch Corner which had been unearthed during improvements to the A1 and fresh discoveries about the deserted village of Wharram Percy near Malton.

Chief Executive Duncan Wilson said: "This has been a truly remarkable decade of landmark archaeological discoveries. The past never ceases to amaze us and there is always more to learn."

At Scotch corner archaeologists unearthed the remains of a major Roman settlement pre-dating settlements in York and Carlisle by ten years, showing the Romans probably expanded into Northern England earlier than previously thought.

The teams also found a startling range of Roman objects from shoes and keys to a snake-shaped silver ring, rare amber figurine and the most northerly example of coin production ever found in Europe.

At Wharram Percy experts found evidence the burnt and mutilated bodies could be a sign of a medieval fear of the living dead. Folklore held that the dead could rise spreading disease and menacing the living. Experts found many of the bones had knife-marks consistent with decapitation and dismembering.