Roman Decapitations In The UK

Doing my usual afternoon article checks today, and came across an insightful read. Titled "Extraordinarily High Number of Roman Decapitations at UK Burial Site" on Ancient Origins, 52 sites, 17 being of those decapitated, and 13 being prone burials were discovered at Knobb's Farm in the United Kingdom dating back to the late Roman Empire (the 3rd century AD).

As Ancient Origins states, "It wouldn’t be unfair to say that the Roman Empire was a vast intercontinental territory. By 117 AD, it included all of Italy, the entire Mediterranean, and much of Europe, including England, Wales and Scotland.". With 3 Roman burial sites being discovered at Knobb's Farm in Somersham, Cambridgeshire, it has been seen as an unusually high number of Roman decapitations.

Something else to keep in mind; the burial sites, many in poor condition, at Somersham showed that one in every three persons was executed, a significant jump, according to archaeologist Dr. Isabel Lisboa, from the University of Minho. But the average for Roman-style executions at British cemeteries stands at 6%. Meaning this site shows a spike from the average. The victims were of Roman military executions, most, probably, judicially sanctioned. According to the BBC, they lay kneeling with their backs to the executor and then were struck from behind with a sword.

There were cuts discovered on some of these bodies at Knobb's Farm, indicating that extreme pre-mortem violence used on the victims. Most of the heads from those were found near the feet in by the knees. One skeleton was of an old woman, who was probably mutilated after her death or perhaps tortured right before her execution. Genetic analysis manifests that most victims were unrelated, so as you would assume, they were probably slaves or prisoners of war.

The Roman Empire is known by several for its barbaric treatment of conquered armies and slaves. Prisoners of war were either tortured, or used as slaves, or publicly maimed for the amusement and entertainment of fellow Romans.

The Roman decapitations were unearthed during a series of excavations between 2001 and 2010 at Knobb’s Farm, England.

I visited Rome in 2019, going to historical landmarks like the Colosseum. Those who don't know, the Colosseum during Ancient Rome tossed prisoners of the war onto this stage for gladiatorial fights with wild animals or other criminals or prisoners of war. They had built this stage in the middle of the Colosseum (that is actually opened up to the public today to show where the cages of the beasts below were). All of this for the entertainment of the Caesars and Roman public. Another Roman tactic of punishment and torture was "poena cullei". Where patricide was punished by tying together the accused with other animals in a leather sack that was then thrown into a river.

"Or there was the execution from the Tarpeian Rock, a massive cliff with an 80 foot (25 meters) fall, on the south side of Rome’s Capitoline Hill, from which people were simply pushed to their death. Public strangulation in town squares and burning victims alive was also common. Another form of punishment meted out to prisoners of war was decimation, where literally the prisoner, in a group of ten, who drew the shortest straw would be beaten or clubbed to death by the other nine. There were several other horrible ways the Romans killed, including forcing someone to swallow molten gold!" (Ancient Origins).

A photo on the left (Cambridge Archaeological Unit) shows the remains of 10 victims. Most of their heads are placed at their feet and between their knees as I noted before.

These harsh and extreme forms of state-sanctioned murder coincide with a historical period in the Roman Empire’s long history and we all know it. It is very sad and can be hard to grasp. During the 5th century AD, the vast empire was unsustainable and crumbling. It eventually fell paving way for its partial successor, the Byzantine Empire, as Ancient Origins notes.

"The number of capital crimes doubled in the 3rd Century and quadrupled in the 4th Century. As it was part of the Roman army, directly or indirectly, the severity of punishments and the enforcement of Roman law would have been more severe at the Somersham settlements," says Dr. Lisboa

In conclusion, articles like this one here, are what keeps history from the past thriving. I find it so fascinating that still to this day we are uncovering hints from what seems forever ago. It's what keeps my love for history so strong.