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Archaeologists solved a 2,000-year-old murder mystery while filming a TV show in the UK. The incident raised more questions than answers.
Bournemouth University announced the discovery in late October, involving Channel 4 presenter Sandi Toksvig. The excavation was part of a new series called “Sandi Toksvig’s Hidden Wonders.”
Toksvig, who studied archeology at Cambridge University, archaeological excavation It is centered around a 2,000-year-old Iron Age settlement in Dorset.
This settlement belonged to the Durotriges, a tribe that lived in the. rural dorset before the Roman conquest.
Dorset archaeologists have unearthed a 2,000-year-old Iron Age burial site while filming a Channel 4 documentary with Sandy Toksvig. (Bournemouth University)
Archaeologists discovered artifacts from everyday life in Iron Age Britain at the site, including bronze brooches, bone combs and bronze bangles.
Later, while filming, the team was surprised to discover a skeleton buried face down in a hole. The skeleton was that of a teenage girl, likely murdered as part of a human sacrifice.
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Most human bones at the site were carefully placed in formal burials, usually with grave goods such as urns and brooches.
The girl’s body was tangled and face down, with no such offerings, in stark contrast to other burials in the settlement.
The girl’s body was found face down and entangled, unlike a formal burial found nearby. (Bournemouth University)
In a statement from Bournemouth University, excavation leader Miles Russell said the team was “particularly shocked to hear that this could be a case of human sacrifice”.
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“Given Sandy’s own interest in archaeology, it was clear that she was deeply moved by what had been discovered,” the researchers added.
Russell told Fox News Digital that the fact that the girl was buried face down “suggests significant disrespect.”
Archaeologists discovered a boy’s skeleton as well as various artifacts at this ancient settlement. (Bournemouth University)
He added that the condition of the teen’s muscle attachments and intervertebral discs suggested that she had done hard labor and lifted heavy weights throughout her life.
“This seems to indicate that pit burials were at the bottom of society, perhaps representing slaves or prisoners of war,” Russell said.
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The victim also had an unhealed broken wrist, which suggests she was defending herself at the time of her death.
Her wrists also appeared to be bound, indicating “a sacrifice, or at least a deliberate execution,” Russell said.
“This seems to indicate that pit burials were at the lowest rung of society, perhaps representing slaves or prisoners of war,” Russell said. (Bournemouth University)
“This is precisely because human sacrifice was not only practiced in the Iron Age; England before Rome But it happened often, ”the archaeologist concluded.
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“What we are trying to do now is to confirm who the victims are, their status and position, and why they were chosen for such a fate, and in effect reclaim their voice.”
