What was discovered on Ridgeway Hill in Dorset?

A mass grave with beheaded bodies from the Viking age.

Who excavated the mass grave on Ridgeway Hill?

Oxford Archaeology conducted the excavation.

They were from the late 10th or early 11th century.

She noted brutal trauma from decapitation on the skeletons.

It prompted a reconsideration of Viking-Anglo-Saxon interactions in Britain.

The mass grave discovered at Ridgeway Hill in Dorset in 2009 contained beheaded bodies heaped together, dating back to the late 10th or early 11th century, challenging initial assumptions of an Iron Age origin. The individuals, likely Anglo-Saxons killed by Viking raiders, were confirmed to be of Scandinavian origin, shedding new light on Viking-Anglo-Saxon interactions in Britain.
Osteologist Louise Lowe's analysis of the skeletons revealed brutal trauma from decapitations likely carried out with a heavy blade, potentially symbolizing judicial executions. The lack of healed trauma on the individuals suggests they were not experienced soldiers, sparking questions about their capture, trial, and execution near the coast at a site that may have served as an ancient boundary for executions, altering historical perspectives on Viking presence in the region.

What was discovered on Ridgeway Hill in Dorset?
A mass grave with beheaded bodies from the Viking age.
Who excavated the mass grave on Ridgeway Hill?
Oxford Archaeology conducted the excavation.
What did the radiocarbon dating reveal about the skeletons?
They were from the late 10th or early 11th century.
What insights did osteologist Louise Lowe provide?
She noted brutal trauma from decapitation on the skeletons.
What historical significance did the discovery hold?
It prompted a reconsideration of Viking-Anglo-Saxon interactions in Britain.

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A mass grave was discovered on Ridgeway Hill in Dorset in June 2009 during road construction.
Dozens of individuals were found buried together, with bodies heaped on one another and all beheaded.
The discovery was from the Viking age, a rare find of a mass execution, intriguing archaeologists.
Oxford Archaeology excavated the site, initially theorizing the skeletons were from ancient times.
The Ridgeway Hill site was initially thought to be Iron Age due to the rich heritage of the area.
The site was on a promontory, difficult to work around due to road construction.
The excavation revealed a mass grave with 52 skulls and 55 skeletons, leading to a complex excavation process.
The Dorset County Council supported the excavation, allowing construction to continue around the site.
The bones recovered were preserved in Dorset County Museum, with additional materials stored in the museum's archive.
Access to the archive provided valuable insights into the excavation process and the thoughts of the archaeologists involved.

17:17

SK number refers to a skeleton, with SK numbers scattered throughout the book's pages.
Each skeleton is assigned an individual number, as the skulls were separated from the post-cranial skeletons.
The goal is to match each skull with the correct individual, as these are real people who were killed and buried.
Context records exist from before the excavation, with individual skeleton records for each skeleton.
Some skeletons show signs of blade trauma, indicating decapitation.
The skeletons are either missing heads or only have heads, never both together.
Radiocarbon dating revealed the skeletons were from the late 10th or early 11th century, not the Iron Age as previously thought.
The skeletons may have been Anglo-Saxons killed by Viking raiders, sparking new historical context.
Osteologist Louise Lowe analyzed the skeletons, noting brutal trauma from decapitation.
The decapitations were likely done with a long, heavy blade, possibly symbolizing judicial executions.

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The individuals found were confirmed to be of Scandinavian origin, challenging the traditional image of Viking warriors.
These foreign men and boys showed no healed trauma, indicating they were not veteran soldiers.
The discovery at Ridgeway Hill prompted a reconsideration of Viking-Anglo-Saxon interactions in Britain.
A group of men, likely raiders or boat crew, were executed near the coast, possibly led there from capture or trial at Dorchester.
The site at Ridgeway Hill, a boundary between parishes, was likely used for executions, possibly of captured Vikings buried in the ancient burial ground.