Palaeontology

Archaeologists unearth 40 beheaded Roman skeletons

By T.K. Randall
February 8, 2022

Image: Roman Legionnaire
Credit: Rennett Stowe / CC BY 2.0 (adapted) The chilling discovery was made by a team of 50 archaeologists who have been working on the excavation of a Roman cemetery at Fleet Marston, near Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire.

The site is currently being cleared to enable the construction of a new high-speed railway link.

Exactly why 40 of the individuals interred at the site had been decapitated remains unclear, however it is a practice usually associated with the convicted criminals and outcasts of the time.

The site also yielded a sizeable number of artefacts, tools and valuables, including 1,200 coins, lead weights used in commerce, spoons, pins, brooches and sets of dice traditionally used for gambling.The town dates back to the Roman occupation of Britain between 43 CE and 410 CE.

"The excavation is significant in both enabling a clear characterization of this Roman town but also a study of many of its inhabitants," said project manager Richard Brown.

The next step will be for the remains to be removed from the site for further study and analysis.

"All human remains uncovered will be treated with dignity, care, and respect and our discoveries will be shared with the community," said HS2 heritage head Helen Wass.

Beheaded #Roman skeletons dug up by archaeologists in #Buckinghamshire on #HS2 route. https://t.co/ImBa7qD6tD #RomanBritain #Archaeology #RomanArchaeology #Aylesbury pic.twitter.com/b7HJLPZGaT

— Roman Britain News (@Roman_Britain) February 5, 2022

Source: Science Alert

Tags: Roman, Skeleton