There’s a grisly murder mystery playing out in southern England. However, in this case, there’s no chance of bringing its perpetrators to justice. Still, a team of archeologists from Bournemouth University hope to use this cold case to better understand the culture of a 2,000-year-old Iron Age tribe—one whose beliefs and rituals likely included human sacrifice.
The Durotriges were a Celtic tribe that lived in present-day southern England prior to Roman conquest during the 1st century CE. Extensive archaeological excavations and DNA analysis indicate that the group was highly matrilineal, meaning both personal inheritance and familial lineage passed through women instead of men. This contradicts many experts’ longtime assumptions about prehistoric European gender roles, although it corroborates with ancient Roman historical documents that recounted Celtic women in positions of power and land ownership.
“It marks the first time that evidence of matrilineal communities have been documented in western European prehistory,” archaeologist Miles Russell said in a university announcement.
Despite the likely matrilineal social organization, at least some women here weren’t spared from a violent sacrificial fate. Russell and colleagues recently uncovered the remains of a teenage girl from the Iron Age buried face down in a pit at the Dorset site. The lack of accompanying grave items and her body’s positioning do not align with typical Durotrigan burial. A closer inspection revealed evidence of injuries sustained to her arms and upper torso, as well as signs that she may have been bound at the wrists. Archaeologists believe all of these signs point to some form of ceremonial or religious death.
“This appears to be the execution of a person carried out in a very theatrical manner,” Russell added in a statement to Arkeonews.
While this is one of the oldest skeletal remains of its kind to be found in Great Britain, it’s not the only one. The team’s recent find is the third grave to feature young women buried face-down with signs of trauma at the Dorset archeological site. Numerous questions surround these individuals, including their origins and possible roles in the community.
Researchers now hope to conduct additional DNA and isotopic analyses on the latest excavation to learn details like the woman’s diet, health conditions, and even her ancestry. This information would clarify if the apparent sacrifices were members of the Durotriges tribe or outsiders brought to fulfill the grim ritual role.
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