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- Broad Town man |
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IN September 2000, a headless man was found buried in a shallow grave in Broad Town, near Swindon. Carbon dating at Oxford University has now pinpointed the age of the skeleton discovered by a couple who spotted pieces of bone jutting out of a hill. Broad Town Man, as he is now known, died around the year 560 AD. Archaeologists believe Broad Town man to be an extremely important discovery. Buried at a crossing between two ancient tracks, and at the top of a hill, the burial point is thought to mark the edge of a Saxon district or Hundred. The carbon dating of the body effectively puts a date on the founding of the Saxon settlement of Broad Town. Although he is headless, Broad Town Man is not thought to have been decapitated. His skull and arm were probably worn away by soil erosion. He was 35 to 45 years old, 5ft 7in, and did a lot of riding, indicated by the size of the muscle attachments on his legs. The Saxons often buried suicides and criminals at crossroads but, it is uncertain how the man died. That it was a shallow grave, only 25cm deep, also indicates he may have been a criminal. Archaeologist Bob Clarke said: "The fact that he was found with nothing with him would suggest that he was of criminal status. And also the fact that he is buried in such a prominent position, on a hill top - it's a good deterrent." |
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