A discovery in Eboracum
The discovery of 30 decapitated Roman skeletons in a rear garden of a house, in York, has kicked off an intense archaeological investigation.
Patrick Ottaway from York Archaeological Trust had undertaken to remove the burials prior to the site being developed, but from the moment his team of archaeologists found the first burial they knew there was something strange about these skeletons.
When these bodies were buried their heads had been removed and placed in some very odd positions between their knees, on their chests or down by their feet. In one double burial the two bodies had had their heads swapped over. Sometimes the heads had been placed back on their shoulders in the right position. What did all this mean and why had these bodies had their heads removed? There were a number of theories to explore.
Published: 2006-01-12