Somersham headless bodies were victims of Roman executions
A dig finds an "exceptionally high" number of executed bodies at a farm that supplied the military.
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A dig finds an "exceptionally high" number of executed bodies at a farm that supplied the military.
Decapitated Remains Uncovered in Roman Cemeteries CAMBRIDGESHIRE, ENGLAND— BBC News reports that decapitated bodies of men and women have been unearthed at three third-century A.D. cemeteries located near a military supply farm settlement site in southeastern England. The heads of the dead were placed at the feet or lower legs. Archaeologist Isabel Lisboa said as many as one-third of the people buried in the cemeteries had been executed, compared to six percent of those interred in most Roman-era cemeteries in Britain. Several of the dead were kneeling and struck from behind with a s...
A recent study has revealed that a series of burials in England showed clear evidence of Roman decapitations at a higher rate than anywhere else in the UK.
BBC News Published image copyrightDave Webb, Cambridge Archaeological Unit A cluster of decapitated bodies discovered at a burial site were probably from victims of Roman military executions, archaeologists have said. The "exceptionally high" number of 3rd Century decapitated bodies were found at a military supply farm settlement at Somersham, Cambridgeshire. Several were kneeling when they were struck from behind with a sword. Archaeologist Isabel Lisboa said 33% of those found had been executed, compared to 6% in most Roman British cemeteries. image copyrightDave Webb, Cambridge Archaeolo...