Archaeologists excavating a training dig near Cambridge have discovered chilling burial pits that may shed light on the violence and punishment during England’s turbulent Viking Age.

The site, excavated by a team from Cambridge University in Wandlebury Country Park, presents a daunting puzzle. Four nearly intact skeletons lie alongside disturbingly fragmented bones, including skulls, legs, and pelvises, seemingly grouped or stacked upon one another.

“Unique is the right word,” said Dr. Oscar Aldred, an archaeologist with the Cambridge Archaeology Unit, in an interview with BBC Science Focus. “I’ve been doing this job for 30 years, and I’ve never encountered anything like this.”

The macabre nature of this find is underscored by the four complete human bones, which appear to have been deposited shortly after death. One individual was decapitated, with a noticeable cut on his jaw.

Notably, the decapitated man, estimated to stand 196 cm (6 feet 5 inches) tall, was found face down, with his hands and feet likely bound. His height was extraordinary, especially at a time when the average man measured only 168 cm (5 ft 6 in).

His skull is particularly intriguing, featuring a healed hole that suggests trepanation—an ancient surgical procedure involving drilling into the skull.

“[The hole] indicates he was likely in the healing process,” stated Dr. Trish Beers, Curator of the Duckworth Collection at the University of Cambridge, in a piece for BBC Science Focus.

Trepanation was a common practice in antiquity, found in cultures from Greece and Rome to South America. It was often employed to treat conditions like migraines and seizures.

Dr. Beers speculated that this individual may have suffered from a tumor on the pituitary gland, which can cause excess growth hormone.

Adding to the grim nature of the burial site, layers of dismembered individuals were found atop the skeletons, with body fragments separated at joints.

“The combination of an articulated individual in a group of bodies, with five skulls and pelvises almost stacked on each other, is truly eerie,” stated Aldred. “What transpired here was undeniably frightening.”

Radiocarbon dating indicates that these deaths occurred during the tumultuous 8th and 9th centuries, a period when Cambridgeshire served as a volatile frontier between Anglo-Saxon Mercia and Viking-ruled East Anglia.

The identity of the deceased remains a mystery: were they Anglo-Saxon captives or Vikings themselves?

Ongoing analyses, including ancient DNA and isotope testing, aim to reveal more about these individuals and their origins.

“I want to go beyond the fact of their death and humanize these people,” Aldred emphasized. “We should not only explore how they died but also understand who they were.”

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