Latest news with #BournemouthUniversity
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
New Study Reveals Chilling Secret of Iron Age War Cemetery
A new study published by archaeologists at Bournemouth University (published in the Oxford Journal of Archaeology) has revealed surprising information about bodies found at a 'war cemetery' at the Iron Age site of Maiden Castle in Dorset, one of the U.K.'s most famous archaeological the burials were initially discovered in 1936, archaeologists believed that they died from a single battle. But after renewed analyses using radiocarbon dating, researchers found that rather than perishing in one mass-casualty event, the individuals had been killed due to violent clashes throughout many generations, from late first century B.C. until late first century A.D. 'The find of dozens of human skeletons displaying lethal weapon injuries was never in doubt, however, by undertaking a systematic programme of radiocarbon dating we have been able to establish that these individuals died over a period of decades, rather than a single terrible event,' said Martin Smith, Associate Professor in Forensic and Biological Anthropology at Bournemouth, who analyzed the believe the cause of the deaths could have stemmed from an era of dynastic turmoil or localized tension, resulting in executions. Whatever the cause, the new discovery upends decades of assumptions on behalf of researchers. 'Since the 1930s, the story of Britons fighting Romans at one of the largest hillforts in the country has become a fixture in historical literature,' Miles Russell, the dig's director, explained. 'With the Second World War fast approaching, no one was really prepared to question the results. The tale of innocent men and women of the local Durotriges tribe being slaughtered by Rome is powerful and poignant. It features in countless articles, books, and TV documentaries. It has become a defining moment in British history, marking the sudden and violent end of the Iron Age.'The trouble is it doesn't appear to have actually happened,' Russell added. 'Unfortunately, the archaeological evidence now points to it being untrue. This was a case of Britons killing Britons, the dead being buried in a long-abandoned fortification. The Roman army committed many atrocities, but this does not appear to be one of them.' Researchers are now scrambling to recontextualize the site, with much of what they assumed about the cemetery at Maiden Castle proving erroneous. "The intermingling of differing cultural burial practices contemporaneously shows that simplistic approaches to interpreting archaeological cemeteries must now be questioned,' said Bournemouth archaeological scientist Paul Cheetham. 'Here we have either a number of distinct cultures living and dying together, or that an individual's burial right was determined by complex social rules and/or hierarchical divisions within this Iron Age society."In addition to the renewed context surrounding the bodies already found, the team is now asking themselves what other undiscovered secrets might lie around the grounds of Maiden Castle. 'Whilst Wheeler's excavation was excellent in itself, he was only able to investigate a fraction of the site,' Cheetham said. 'It is likely that a larger number of burials still remains undiscovered around the immense ramparts."New Study Reveals Chilling Secret of Iron Age War Cemetery first appeared on Men's Journal on May 29, 2025
The Sun
5 days ago
- The Sun
Chilling secret of mass ‘gangland-style executions' finally revealed as experts analyse over 50 Iron Age skeletons
A MASS grave of more than 50 skeletons has cast light on tribal warfare in Iron Age Britain, where gangs engaged in bloody turf wars. Historians previously believed mass slaughter events involving hill fort tribes in the west country were caused by invading Romans. 4 4 4 But radiocarbon dating of human remains unearthed in 1936 have revealed the victims were actually killed a century before the Romans arrived. Researchers believe "localised gangland infighting" was actually behind the killings, which happened to be at one of Europe's biggest hill forts, the Daily Mail reported. "We can now say quite categorically that these individuals died a long time before the Romans arrived and over a long period of time, not in single battle for a hill fort," Dr Miles Russell, principal academic in prehistoric and Roman archaeology at Bournemouth University, said in a statement. The Romans didn't arrive in Dorset until 43AD. Cut marks on the victims suggest they were killed by "lethal weapon injuries" - and in very public displays. Experts say their deaths could have acted as a warning to others not to fall out of line. Dr Russell, who has spent several years researching the burial site at Maiden Castle near Dorchester, added: "The deaths were a series of gangland-style executions. "People were dragged up there and put to death as a way of one group exerting control over another." The executions took place between the late first century BC to the early first century AD - suggesting the violence was lethal across multiple generations. "These were Mafia-like families. Game of Thrones-like barons with one dynasty wiping out another to control trade links and protection rackets for power," Dr Russell continued. "What we are seeing is the people who lost out being executed. "Most of them had cranial trauma with no sign of defensive wounds. They were repeatedly struck with a sword to the head with the skulls smashed to oblivion. "You are talking overkill, not a single death blow. These were gangland executions carried out in a very prominent and obvious way as a warning to others." The Maiden Castle grave site is one of the most famous archaeological discoveries in Britain. When it was unearthed in 1936, dig director Sir Mortimer Wheeler suggested the injuries were "the marks of battle" with the Romans. The misinterpretation of the Maiden Castle site, dubbed the "war cemetery", brings into question how other archaeological cemeteries across the south west have been understood. 4
Scottish Sun
5 days ago
- Scottish Sun
Chilling secret of mass ‘gangland-style executions' finally revealed as experts analyse over 50 Iron Age skeletons
ANCIENT MAFIA Chilling secret of mass 'gangland-style executions' finally revealed as experts analyse over 50 Iron Age skeletons Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A MASS grave of more than 50 skeletons has cast light on tribal warfare in Iron Age Britain, where gangs engaged in bloody turf wars. Historians previously believed mass slaughter events involving hill fort tribes in the west country were caused by invading Romans. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 4 The Maiden Castle grave site is one of the most famous archaeological discoveries in Britain Credit: BournemouthUniversity 4 Cut marks on the victims suggest they were killed by "lethal weapon injuries" - and in very public displays Credit: BournemouthUniversity 4 When it was unearthed in 1936, dig director Sir Mortimer Wheeler suggested the injuries were "the marks of battle" with the Romans Credit: BournemouthUniversity But radiocarbon dating of human remains unearthed in 1936 have revealed the victims were actually killed a century before the Romans arrived. Researchers believe "localised gangland infighting" was actually behind the killings, which happened to be at one of Europe's biggest hill forts, the Daily Mail reported. "We can now say quite categorically that these individuals died a long time before the Romans arrived and over a long period of time, not in single battle for a hill fort," Dr Miles Russell, principal academic in prehistoric and Roman archaeology at Bournemouth University, said in a statement. The Romans didn't arrive in Dorset until 43AD. Cut marks on the victims suggest they were killed by "lethal weapon injuries" - and in very public displays. Experts say their deaths could have acted as a warning to others not to fall out of line. Dr Russell, who has spent several years researching the burial site at Maiden Castle near Dorchester, added: "The deaths were a series of gangland-style executions. "People were dragged up there and put to death as a way of one group exerting control over another." The executions took place between the late first century BC to the early first century AD - suggesting the violence was lethal across multiple generations. "These were Mafia-like families. Game of Thrones-like barons with one dynasty wiping out another to control trade links and protection rackets for power," Dr Russell continued. "What we are seeing is the people who lost out being executed. "Most of them had cranial trauma with no sign of defensive wounds. They were repeatedly struck with a sword to the head with the skulls smashed to oblivion. "You are talking overkill, not a single death blow. These were gangland executions carried out in a very prominent and obvious way as a warning to others." The Maiden Castle grave site is one of the most famous archaeological discoveries in Britain. When it was unearthed in 1936, dig director Sir Mortimer Wheeler suggested the injuries were "the marks of battle" with the Romans. The misinterpretation of the Maiden Castle site, dubbed the "war cemetery", brings into question how other archaeological cemeteries across the south west have been understood.
The Irish Sun
5 days ago
- The Irish Sun
Chilling secret of mass ‘gangland-style executions' finally revealed as experts analyse over 50 Iron Age skeletons
A MASS grave of more than 50 skeletons has cast light on tribal warfare in Iron Age Britain, where gangs engaged in bloody turf wars. Historians previously believed mass slaughter events involving hill fort tribes in the west country were caused by invading Romans. Advertisement 4 The Maiden Castle grave site is one of the most famous archaeological discoveries in Britain Credit: BournemouthUniversity 4 Cut marks on the victims suggest they were killed by "lethal weapon injuries" - and in very public displays Credit: BournemouthUniversity 4 When it was unearthed in 1936, dig director Sir Mortimer Wheeler suggested the injuries were "the marks of battle" with the Romans Credit: BournemouthUniversity But radiocarbon dating of human remains unearthed in 1936 have revealed the victims were actually killed a century before the Romans arrived. Researchers believe "localised gangland infighting" was actually behind the killings, which happened to be at one of Europe's biggest hill forts, the "We can now say quite categorically that these individuals died a long time before the Romans arrived and over a long period of time, not in single battle for a hill fort," Dr Miles Russell, principal academic in prehistoric and Roman archaeology at Bournemouth University, said in a statement. The Romans didn't arrive in Dorset until 43AD. Advertisement READ MORE ON ARCHAEOLOGY Cut marks on the victims suggest they were killed by "lethal weapon injuries" - and in very public displays. Experts say their deaths could have acted as a warning to others not to fall out of line. Dr Russell, who has spent several years researching the burial site at Maiden Castle near Dorchester, added: "The deaths were a series of gangland-style executions. "People were dragged up there and put to death as a way of one group exerting control over another." Advertisement Most read in Tech The executions took place between the late first century BC to the early first century AD - suggesting the violence was lethal across multiple generations. "These were Mafia-like families. Game of Thrones-like barons with one dynasty wiping out another to control trade links and protection rackets for power," Dr Russell continued. "What we are seeing is the people who lost out being executed. "Most of them had cranial trauma with no sign of defensive wounds. They were repeatedly struck with a sword to the head with the skulls smashed to oblivion. Advertisement "You are talking overkill, not a single death blow. These were gangland executions carried out in a very prominent and obvious way as a warning to others." The Maiden Castle grave site is one of the most famous archaeological discoveries in Britain. When it was unearthed in 1936, dig director Sir Mortimer Wheeler suggested the injuries were "the marks of battle" with the Romans. The misinterpretation of the Maiden Castle site, dubbed the "war cemetery", brings into question how other archaeological cemeteries across the south west have been understood. Advertisement 4 The Romans didn't arrive in Dorset until 43AD Credit: BournemouthUniversity
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Science
- Yahoo
Study reveals how woolly mammoths adapted to survive ice age
Research has revealed how woolly mammoths and other species adapted to survive the ice age. A team of palaeontologists and palaeogeneticists studied ancient fossil and DNA evidence to understand the changes animals and plants went through in the Northern Hemisphere. They found that cold-adapted animals began to evolve 2.6 million years ago, when permanent ice at the poles became more common. The study showed that many current cold-adapted species, as well as extinct ones like mammoths, evolved around 700,000 years ago, when cold periods doubled in length. READ MORE: Dorset 'war cemetery' not victims of Roman Conquest Research shows Arctic foxes and polar bears arrived later than once thought (Image: Canva) The findings, which offer a greater understanding of how species evolved in the past, were published in the journal Trends in Ecology and Evolution. John Stewart, professor of paleoecology at Bournemouth University, led the study. He said: "The cold-adapted species are among the most vulnerable animals and plants to ongoing climate change. "Therefore, an understanding of how species evolved in the past is essential to help us understand the risks faced by endangered species today." As part of their research, the team compared evidence of evolution in plants and beetles with that for mammals. SEE MORE: Habitat in many estuaries at high risk of being 'squeezed' out by climate change Cold-adapted animals began evolving 2.6 million years ago, researchers find (Image: Canva) They suggested that ideas that some organisms had evolved earlier in the polar regions need to be tested. This means that the way the modern Arctic ecologies assembled needs to be resolved, as it is not clear when and how the animals and plants who live there came together. The study found evidence for early occurrences of true lemmings and reindeer in the Arctic, where they may have evolved as climates cooled in the early Pleistocene period, between one and two million years ago. The polar bear and Arctic fox, on the other hand, may have joined them more recently within the last 700,000 years, colonising from the south. Some of the ice age cold species like the woolly rhino are different and may have evolved in the steppe grasslands to the south, with the earliest occurrences in the Tibetan Plateau. Professor Stewart said: "This is the first concerted effort to compare the evolution of cold-adapted animals and plants since modern methods of palaeogenetics appeared."
