1/5) This man was violently killed in 2nd century Roman London; forensic science and the study of Ancient DNA tells us a remarkable amount about his life and death: he was in his late 30s or early 40s, had black hair and brown eyes and had come to Britannia from the continent..

2/5)..though his mother had family origins in the Middle East. Healed facial injuries and a once-broken cheekbone bear witness to a violent life. At some point in the 2nd century, on the banks of the lost river Walbrook (near the modern Bank of England)...

3/5) ...He and 38 other men were bound and brutally beaten, receiving many blows to the head and face. He was then decapitated by a skilled swordsman, along with all the other men, and their bodies left exposed. Teeth marks show that a dog chewed at his severed head...

4/5) ..At some point his head and the heads of the 38 other men were thrown in a shallow pit filled with stagnant water (a 2000 year-old water beetle was found inside his skull), where eventually the remains were buried. Who was this man who met a violent end in Roman Londinium?

5/5) Were these 39 men rebelling against Rome? Or were they executed as common criminals? Their bodies were disposed of not far from London& #39;s amphitheatre, raising the possibility they may have been executed for entertainment in the arena. What do you think?