http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/dorset/8563377.stm

 

 

Mystery has surrounded the identity of the group since they were discovered at Ridgeway Hill, near Weymouth, in June.

 

Analysis of teeth from 10 of the men revealed they had grown up in countries with a colder climate than Britain's.

 

Archaeologists from Oxford believe the men were probably executed by local Anglo Saxons in front of an audience sometime between AD 910 and AD 1030.

 

The Anglo Saxons were increasingly falling victim to Viking raids and eventually the country was ruled by a Danish king.

 

The mass grave is one of the largest examples of executed foreigners buried in one spot.

 

It was discovered during investigative excavation work before construction started on a controversial £87m relief road through the ridgeway.

 

Samples of 10 remains were identified as Scandinavian by Dr Jane Evans and Carolyn Chenery, of NERC Isotope Geosciences Laboratory, part of the British Geological Survey, based in Nottingham.

 

Their work has revealed that the men had scattered Scandinavian origins, with one even thought to be from north of the Arctic Circle.

 

Isotopes in the men's teeth also show they had eaten a high protein diet, comparable with known sites in Sweden.

 

Initially, it was thought the burial site dated from the Iron Age (from 800 BC) to early Roman times (from AD 43) after examining pottery in the pit, later identified as a Roman quarry.

 

A scientist holds part of a skull and teeth used for isotope testing

Isotope testing was carried out on the men's teeth

 

Radiocarbon dating later revealed they were from the Saxon period.

 

Oxford Archaeology removed the 51 skulls from the ground and are continuing to examine the remains to try to link the find to historical events.

 

Project manager David Score said: "To find out that the young men executed were Vikings is a thrilling development.

 

"Any mass grave is a relatively rare find, but to find one on this scale, from this period of history, is extremely unusual."

 

He added that without analysing all the bodies it was impossible to know for certain that all the skeletons were those of Vikings, but it was possible to make a "strong inference".

 

The archaeologists believe the men were stripped naked either before being killed, or before being buried, because there was no evidence of clothing, such as pins or toggles.

 

Most of them were in their late teens to early 20s, with a handful in their 30s.

 

 

I think that this is pretty fascinating.

Yeah man thats a good find haha, pretty big time gap though, but eh science can only do so much right now.

 

But how many bodies were found total?

Yeah man thats a good find haha, pretty big time gap though, but eh science can only do so much right now.

 

But how many bodies were found total?

 

 

Fifty-one, I think. At least that's what I read on another site.

thats pretty cool haha I wish I knew more about this era and everything lol

Doesn't surprise me. Those Vikings were crazy [bleep]s.

Wow thats a few miles away from where i live and i hadnt heard about it, lol. Quite interesting :smile:

While it is neat it's just kind of disappointing that there doesn't seem to be anything that can be learned from it. Btw I love history.

Cool story, thanks for the link.

Neato

Who knew a mass grave could be so exciting? :P

 

I always pictured vikings in their forties for some reason...maybe it's the beards.

Who knew a mass grave could be so exciting? :P

 

I always pictured vikings in their forties for some reason...maybe it's the beards.

 

It's really just a stereotype. I'm not saying that no Viking grew a beard or grew long hair, but the majority of their warriors were actually rather young. They were also seafaring raiders, so the commercial image that we have of a Viking is incredibly inaccurate.

 

Surprisingly, the Saxons weren't very different from the Vikings. They worshiped the same gods, shared a common culture, and had similar-looking equipment. (Although, I think that England was Christianized by the time of this mass execution. Christianization of the Vikings came later. )