AN ANGLO-SAXON DECAPITATION AND BURIAL AT STONEHENGE 



137 



periosteal new bone on the posterior surface of the 

 right femur and medial surface of the right tibia is 

 indicative of non-specific infection in the membranes 

 covering the bone. The mandible was squared at the 

 angles and mental protuberance (chin), and the 

 individual had a pronounced overbite. 



The decapitation 



The man had been decapitated, the head apparently 

 being removed via a single blow from the rear-right 

 side, cutting through the fourth cervical vertebra 

 (Figure 4) and clipping the left mandible in the 

 inferior-posterior aspect of the ramus (i.e. the part 



Fig. 4. Fourth cervical (neck) vertebra from 4.10.4, 

 showing cut surfaces exposing spongy interior. Photo 

 copyright Natural History Museum. 



of the mandible nearest the neck, where it angles- 

 up to articulate with the rest of the skull: Figure 5). 

 The single, clean cut must have been made with a 

 sharp, narrow but relatively robust blade, cutting 

 through the right superior portion of the dorsal part 

 of the C4 (the spine of the vertebra), the superior 

 portion of the right articular process and the 



Fig. 5. Right mandibular ramus of 4.10.4 (i.e. back angle 

 of lower jaw). Photo copyright Natural History Museum. 



margins of the right lateral-dorsal portion of the 

 body, clipping the left superior articular process and 

 body margins of the superior surface. 



The assailant must have been standing behind 

 the victim. Although vertebrae between the second 

 cervical to the first thoracic have been recorded as 

 points of severance in decapitations, the mid-cervical 

 region - as in this case - appears to have been the 

 most common, with occasional trauma to the 

 mandible or occipital vault (back of the head) also 

 being observed. It has been noted that the use of a 

 'block' - which would help direct the aim, keep the 

 neck straight and limit the movement of the victim's 

 body when struck - invariably leads to a cut at the 

 mid-neck level (Manchester 1983). However, one 

 would not expect to see damage to the mandible in 

 such cases. Variations in methods of execution also 

 include the victim kneeling with the head up, which 

 may also allow for a good aim at the neck but could 

 potentially result in damage to the mandible if the 

 victim dropped the head slightly or they moved 

 forward a little on being struck. 



Decapitation has been observed in numerous 

 cemeteries of this date (e.g. Harman et al. 1981; 

 McKinley 1993; Boylston 2000) and the reasons 

 suggested for its use have included both execution 

 of defeated enemies or criminals and sacrificial ritual 

 (Wilson 1992). There are several Anglo-Saxon 

 cemeteries which seem likely to have functioned as 

 execution sites - including significantly high 

 percentages of decapitations and prone burials - such 

 as Wor Barrow and Roche Court Down (Harman et 

 al. 1981), and South Acre, Norfolk (McKinley 1996), 

 the latter being one of those associated with a Bronze 

 Age barrow (Wymer 1996). 



It cannot be assumed that this male was an ethnic 

 Anglo-Saxon. West Wiltshire lay on the margins of 

 Anglo-Saxon occupation at this time (Eagles 2001) 

 and the individual may have been a native Briton. 



LOCATING THE EARLY 

 CHILDHOOD RESIDENCE 

 OF THE INDIVIDUAL 



by Paul Budd, Jane Evans and 

 Carolyn Chenery 



A tooth from skeleton 4. 10.4 was analysed to see if 

 the man's origins could be pinpointed, using a new 

 technique that considers traces of oxygen, lead and 

 strontium. 



