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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's amphitheatre, raising the possibility they may have been executed for entertainment in the arena. What do you think?
