DEAD VIKINGS IN ENGLAND
SOME NICE(?) EXAMPLES OF SKELETONS FOUND IN ENGLAND AND CONCLUSIVELY IDENTIFIED AS 'VIKING' WARRIORS
THE RIDGEWAY PIT, DORSET
An old Roman quarry was used as the dumping ground for 51 executed men aged from late teens to their thirties. Isotope analysis revealed they were from Scandinavia, one at least had grown up above the Arctic Circle.
Carbon dating revealed the men had died between 910AD and 1030AD. This corresponds to the later viking age when the Scandinavians were forces bent on conquest for their kings rather than random raiders.
The grave site is where an ancient road crosses an ancient boundary - probably politically significant at the time of burial.
The men were decapitated, most from the front.
The heads were piled separated from the bodies and some were missing - perhaps taken as trophies. The bodies may have become disarticulated before burial and the heads, were in a pile together as were seperate legs, ribs and arm bones.
All the men had been beheaded, probably with swords.
Some skeletons have hand and arm injuries indicating they were not cooperative. A few show evidence of wounds to the legs and chest.
There was no trace of clothing or equipment in the pit.
One individual had teeth ornamented by filing horizontal grooves - maybe a member of a trade guild ? 24 other examples are known from the Baltic area.
51 warriors would make up the crew for a medium-sized ship such as the c.30m Havhingsten (Skuldelev 2).
This find is testimony to the fate of many warbands during the viking period whether aggressors or defenders. After setting out with high hopes and full of energy for battle and victory they were fated to be defeated, captured and executed like cattle.
This enigmatic grave site has produced a wide array of 'interpretations'.
THEY WERE JOMSVIKINGS
Despite Jomsvikings being a medieval fantasy and total lack of physical evidence.
'Both traits link the execution victims to a group which, if not the Jomsvikings themselves, had similar principles and beliefs.' - i.e. 'if they were not Jomsvikings then they were another group of almost Jomsvikings. - I cannot be wrong.'
THEY WERE SURROUNDED AND FORCED TO SURRENDER
After walking inland - why did they have to come from the sea ? They met an unusually well-organised band of Saxons - despite the English fyrd system being well-developed to meet just such threats.
INEXPERIENCED PUS-OOZING PEASANTS- CAPTURED ON THEIR FIRST EXPEDITION
The pathology of the skeletons, showing hard-working young men with various diseases and complaints common in a peasant society.
MASSACRE OF THE INNOCENTS ?
Victims of the St Brice's Day Massacre, November 13th 1002AD.
A mass burial found under St John's College, Oxford appears to contain victims of the St.Brice's DAy Massacre. All are young men, some definitely from outside the UK.
There were 37 individuals and more than half have violent injuries inflicted as they fled from attackers - none seemed to be injured in combat.
THE HEATHEN ARMY AT REPTON
One of the most significant discoveries in the last 25 years of viking researches has been the identification of the camp of the heathen army during the winter of 874-5AD.
Beside the mass burial of c.264 Scandinavians identified by weapons and a Thor's hammer, was a seperate interment of what appeared to be a leader.
This special burial was of a skeleton with impressive wounds that are worth describing.
The cause of death was probably two hefty spear-thrusts to the face which penetrated the skull in the left eyebrow. The form of the narrow holes suggests typical long slim spearheads of the time.
Probably when he was still upright and wielding his shield the warrior received a blow to the left upper arm which carved down through his humerus and continued into the ulna. A horrible and debilitating blow which was delivered with a sword.
Once the warrior was down he suffered terrible wounds to the abdomen which cut into the vertebrae from the front and would have disembowelled him.
A further ignominious blow was made with an axe into the man's groin; this would have removed his genitals and cleaved its way deep into his hip-joint. The boar's tusk laid in the grave was probably intended to compensate for the loss of his manhood and send him fully able into the afterlife.
The final set of wounds were to the feet. His foot bones were cut to pieces in a deliberate and thorough manner.
This skeleton is a classic example of a warrior injured, killed and then 'made sure of' during a battle. Evidently his side won the encounter and they managed to bury him with due respect.
His appearance was reconstructed as part of the BBC Blood of the Vikings series and we can look into the face of the man cruelly killed so long ago.Did he or did he not deserve such an end ?
The pictures and info for this page were culled from ......
BBC programme series 'Blood of the Vikings'
BBC News
and Dorset County Council
SOME NICE(?) EXAMPLES OF SKELETONS FOUND IN ENGLAND AND CONCLUSIVELY IDENTIFIED AS 'VIKING' WARRIORS
THE RIDGEWAY PIT, DORSET
An old Roman quarry was used as the dumping ground for 51 executed men aged from late teens to their thirties. Isotope analysis revealed they were from Scandinavia, one at least had grown up above the Arctic Circle.
Carbon dating revealed the men had died between 910AD and 1030AD. This corresponds to the later viking age when the Scandinavians were forces bent on conquest for their kings rather than random raiders.
The grave site is where an ancient road crosses an ancient boundary - probably politically significant at the time of burial.
The men were decapitated, most from the front.
The heads were piled separated from the bodies and some were missing - perhaps taken as trophies. The bodies may have become disarticulated before burial and the heads, were in a pile together as were seperate legs, ribs and arm bones.
All the men had been beheaded, probably with swords.
Some skeletons have hand and arm injuries indicating they were not cooperative. A few show evidence of wounds to the legs and chest.
There was no trace of clothing or equipment in the pit.
One individual had teeth ornamented by filing horizontal grooves - maybe a member of a trade guild ? 24 other examples are known from the Baltic area.
51 warriors would make up the crew for a medium-sized ship such as the c.30m Havhingsten (Skuldelev 2).
This find is testimony to the fate of many warbands during the viking period whether aggressors or defenders. After setting out with high hopes and full of energy for battle and victory they were fated to be defeated, captured and executed like cattle.
This enigmatic grave site has produced a wide array of 'interpretations'.
THEY WERE JOMSVIKINGS
Despite Jomsvikings being a medieval fantasy and total lack of physical evidence.
'Both traits link the execution victims to a group which, if not the Jomsvikings themselves, had similar principles and beliefs.' - i.e. 'if they were not Jomsvikings then they were another group of almost Jomsvikings. - I cannot be wrong.'
THEY WERE SURROUNDED AND FORCED TO SURRENDER
After walking inland - why did they have to come from the sea ? They met an unusually well-organised band of Saxons - despite the English fyrd system being well-developed to meet just such threats.
INEXPERIENCED PUS-OOZING PEASANTS- CAPTURED ON THEIR FIRST EXPEDITION
The pathology of the skeletons, showing hard-working young men with various diseases and complaints common in a peasant society.
MASSACRE OF THE INNOCENTS ?
Victims of the St Brice's Day Massacre, November 13th 1002AD.
A mass burial found under St John's College, Oxford appears to contain victims of the St.Brice's DAy Massacre. All are young men, some definitely from outside the UK.
There were 37 individuals and more than half have violent injuries inflicted as they fled from attackers - none seemed to be injured in combat.
THE HEATHEN ARMY AT REPTON
One of the most significant discoveries in the last 25 years of viking researches has been the identification of the camp of the heathen army during the winter of 874-5AD.
Beside the mass burial of c.264 Scandinavians identified by weapons and a Thor's hammer, was a seperate interment of what appeared to be a leader.
This special burial was of a skeleton with impressive wounds that are worth describing.
The cause of death was probably two hefty spear-thrusts to the face which penetrated the skull in the left eyebrow. The form of the narrow holes suggests typical long slim spearheads of the time.
Probably when he was still upright and wielding his shield the warrior received a blow to the left upper arm which carved down through his humerus and continued into the ulna. A horrible and debilitating blow which was delivered with a sword.
Once the warrior was down he suffered terrible wounds to the abdomen which cut into the vertebrae from the front and would have disembowelled him.
A further ignominious blow was made with an axe into the man's groin; this would have removed his genitals and cleaved its way deep into his hip-joint. The boar's tusk laid in the grave was probably intended to compensate for the loss of his manhood and send him fully able into the afterlife.
The final set of wounds were to the feet. His foot bones were cut to pieces in a deliberate and thorough manner.
This skeleton is a classic example of a warrior injured, killed and then 'made sure of' during a battle. Evidently his side won the encounter and they managed to bury him with due respect.
His appearance was reconstructed as part of the BBC Blood of the Vikings series and we can look into the face of the man cruelly killed so long ago.Did he or did he not deserve such an end ?
The pictures and info for this page were culled from ......
BBC programme series 'Blood of the Vikings'
BBC News
and Dorset County Council