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Archaeologists filming a TV show in the UK have uncovered a 2,000-year-old murder mystery – one that raises more questions than answers.
Bournemouth University announced the discovery, involving Channel 4 presenter Sandi Toksvig, at the end of October. The dig was part of a new series called “Sandi Toksvig’s Hidden Wonders.”
Toksvig, who studied archeology at Cambridge University, agreed archaeological excavation The focus is on a 2,000-year-old Iron Age settlement in Dorset.
The settlement belonged to the Durotriges, a tribe that lived there rural Dorset before the Roman conquest.
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Archaeologists in Dorset have uncovered a 2,000-year-old Iron Age burial site while filming a Channel 4 documentary with Sandi Toksvig. (Bournemouth University)
At the site, archaeologists discovered artifacts from daily life in Iron Age Britain, including bronze brooches, a bone comb and a bronze bracelet.
Then, during filming, the team was surprised to find a skeleton buried face down in a pit – a young girl who was likely murdered as part of a human sacrifice.
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Most of the skeletons at the site were carefully buried in formal burials along with grave goods, typically pots or brooches.
The girl’s body was tangled and lying face down and there were no such offerings, a stark contrast to the other burials in the settlement.
The girl’s body was found face down and tangled, in contrast to the formal burials discovered nearby. (Bournemouth University)
In Bournemouth University’s press release, excavation director Miles Russell said the team was “particularly shocked to hear that this may have been a human sacrifice.”
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“Sandi’s interest in archeology clearly showed that she was deeply touched by what was discovered,” the researcher added.
Speaking to Fox News Digital, Russell said the fact that the girl was buried face down “suggests clear disrespect.”
Archaeologists found various artifacts in the ancient settlement, including the teenager’s skeleton. (Bournemouth University)
He added that the condition of the teenager’s muscle attachments and intervertebral discs suggested she had been doing heavy physical labor and lifting heavy weights throughout her life.
“This seems to indicate that the pit burials were at the lower end of society and may have represented the enslaved or prisoners of war,” Russell noted.
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The victim also had an unhealed broken wrist, suggesting she was struggling at the time of her death.
Their wrists also appeared to have been bound, suggesting “sacrifice or at least premeditated execution,” Russell said.
“This seems to indicate that the pit burials were at the lower end of society and may have represented the enslaved or prisoners of war,” Russell said. (Bournemouth University)
“It’s really archaeological evidence that supports the Roman view that not only were there human sacrifices in the Iron Age, but pre-Roman Britain, but that a lot happened,” concluded the archaeologist.
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“What we are trying to do now is to find out who the victims were, what status and position they had and why they were chosen for such a fate, and so give back their voice.”