Ridgeway burial pit could contain Viking mercenaries (From Dorset Echo)
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Ridgeway burial pit could contain Viking mercenaries
12:00am Wednesday 25th January 2012 in Local News By Diarmuid MacDonagh
A mass grave found on the path of Weymouth relief road belongs to a group of vicious Viking mercenaries, an archaeologist said today.
The burial site at Ridgeway Hill, was found in 2009 during preparation work for the road.
Archaeologists found the bodies of 54 men who had all been decapitated and placed in shallow graves with their heads piled up to one side.
Carbon dating revealed that the bodies were from the 11th century, which gave the first hint that the bodies might be linked to the Vikings.
At this time Anglo-Saxons on the south coast of England were under constant threat from Nordic attack.
Isotope tests on the teeth of the men revealed they came from Scandinavia.
Dr Britt Baillie, from the University of Cambridge, said that she believed they belonged to a group of violent Viking killers who modelled themselves on a legendary group of mercenaries founded by Harald Bluetooth and based at Jomsborg on the Baltic coast – the Jomsvikings.
The Jomsvikings had strict military codes about not showing fear or fleeing in the face of the enemy except when completely outnumbered.
“The legends and stories of the Jomsvikings travelled around the medieval world and would almost certainly have been indicative of some of the practices of other bands of mercenaries or may even have been imitated by other groups,” Dr Baillie said.
She said that the murders could have taken place during the reign of Aethelred the Un-ready.
Following a series of Viking attacks he ordered all Danish men living in England to be killed on November 13 – St Brice’s Day – which became the St Brice’s Day massacre.
Remains have been found in Oxford and it is thought mass-acres also took place in Lon-don, Bristol and Gloucester.
There are signs that the murders at Ridgeway Hill were unique, Dr Baillie said, as, unlike the frenzied mob attack that took place at Oxford, all the men were murdered methodically and beheaded in an unusual fashion from the front – just like those in the Joms-vikings legend.
Comments(16)
Duckorange
says...
9:11am Wed 25 Jan 12
RobinofLocksley
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10:49am Wed 25 Jan 12
Duckorange wrote:Be careful what you wish for - she would have to cut a sliver off it for carbon dating.
I'd like to show Dr Bailie my priceless Viking helmet.
Mamma Media
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10:52am Wed 25 Jan 12
maximan
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10:56am Wed 25 Jan 12
Duckorange
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11:13am Wed 25 Jan 12
Genghis
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12:06pm Wed 25 Jan 12
Wykeite
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6:37pm Wed 25 Jan 12
Duckorange wrote:Thanks, now on my Sky+ to record.
The TV programme about this - Viking Apocalypse - is on National Geographic Channel, 9pm tonight. (Sky 526, Virgin Media 230). Surprised Echo haven't mentioned that in the item
radiator
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7:56pm Wed 25 Jan 12
Ragnvald
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8:33pm Wed 25 Jan 12
CharlieBarley
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7:49am Thu 26 Jan 12
radiator wrote:No, if you read the story it's actually what they used to do to immigrants.
Perhaps the skeletons are of people who vilified disabled people.
maximan
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10:35am Thu 26 Jan 12
radiator wrote:where the hell did that come from? Tangent or what?
Perhaps the skeletons are of people who vilified disabled people.
IDONTKNOWIFITISTRRUE
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1:59pm Thu 26 Jan 12
badgerboi
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9:46am Fri 27 Jan 12
exocet
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1:52pm Sat 28 Jan 12
BigRich329
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3:39pm Sat 28 Jan 12
Laadeeda says...
8:57am Wed 25 Jan 12
Hasn't the same feel as the St Valentines Day massacre somehow.
I wonder if in years to come we will be sending annonymous cards to loved ones.
Nah - I don't think so either!!!!!!