The remains of a wealthy Roman man, buried 1,600 years ago near London's St. Martin-in-the-Fields church, is providing clues for archaeologists trying to understand a little-known period in the city's history.

The remains of the man, who was in his early 40s when he died about A.D. 410, went on display yesterday at the Museum of London. The museum also is showing items found in tombs nearby that date from a period when the Saxons of northern Germany ruled the city.

The Roman and Saxon discoveries were made in the last two years during the renovation of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, which overlooks Trafalgar Square. Archeologists say the remains are interesting because they were found well beyond the walls of the Roman settlement called Londinium and date from a period shortly after the Romans abandoned the city.

''It's very, very unusual to find a Roman burial here,'' said Francis Grew, senior curator at the Museum of London, in an interview. Archeologists in Britain haven't previously found remains so late in the Roman era, he said. Carbon dating shows the man died between 390 and 430.

The excavation also offered evidence of links between Romans and Saxons, the northern German tribe that built a settlement called Lundenwic around present-day Covent Garden from 600-886. History traditionally portrays Romans and Saxons as enemies.

The Roman settlement was further east, in what is now the City of London financial district, and lasted from 43 to 400.

They shared a burial area, and both the Roman and Saxon graves reflected people of wealth and high social standing, said Grew.

Rare Remains

''Until now, archaeologists have believed that there was no direct link between Roman Londinium and Saxon Lundenwic,'' said Grew. ''The St. Martin's dig is making them change their minds.''

The Roman's remains were rarer because they were found in a limestone sarcophagus, or coffin, and made of stone from a quarry in Lincolnshire, eastern England. Archaeologists also found a Roman kiln for producing bricks, suggesting construction took place on the site.

The Saxon graves contained items such as a gold pendant, amethyst beads, glass cup and copper hanging bowl. A clay pot believed to be Saxon and dating from around 500, a century before Lundenwic was thought to have been founded, was also discovered.

''It appears people offered special significance to the site,'' Grew said. The area sits on high ground, near a curve in the River Thames.

The discoveries at the church are ''extraordinarily moving, raising the possibility that St. Martin-in-the-Fields has been a sacred site for much longer than we thought,'' the Reverend Nicholas Holtam, vicar of the church, said in a statement.

St. Martin's, which is closed until September because of a 36 million-pound ($71 million) renovation, was completed in 1726. There's been a church on the site since 1222.

The Museum of London, which displays the city's history from a building on London Wall, is undergoing an 18 million-pound redevelopment to expand gallery space that is due to be completed in 2009.