Since the Bronze Age, bodies have been discarded in the River Thames: what researchers have discovered.

Over the past two centuries, hundreds of human bones have been recovered from the bottom of the River Thames in England, and a new study of these skeletons suggests that most of them date back to the Bronze and Iron Ages. This was reported by Live Science, as conveyed by UNN.

Details

In a study published in the journal Antiquity, researchers detailed their analysis of radiocarbon dating on 30 skeletons found in the Thames, aiming to determine when and why the bodies ended up in the river.

According to the researchers, skeletons are “fairly regularly found in bodies of water in northwestern Europe, but the human bones from the Thames represent a unique large accumulation.”

Researchers have been studying the Thames skeletons since the 19th century. One of the early theories was that the bodies ended up there following a battle between the Celts and Romans. By the late 20th century, experts suggested that most of the bodies were found as a result of erosion of burials along the riverbank and the drowning of victims. Arthur noted:

“The main question for these human bones is how they ended up in the river.”

It is noted that her first step was to obtain dozens of radiocarbon dates to better understand when the bodies were placed there. When researchers combined their 30 new radiocarbon dates with 31 previous ones, they discovered that the bodies from the Thames were found between 4000 BC and 1800 AD—a span of nearly 6000 years. However, most of them belong to the Bronze Age (2300 - 800 BC) and Iron Age (800 BC - 43 AD), and they were found in the upper reaches of the river.

It is highlighted that the exact reason for the placement of the bodies in the Thames remains unclear, but scientists suspect it was part of a broader trend in northwestern Europe, where prehistoric people intentionally placed ritually significant remains in watery places. Bioarchaeologist Chris Knüsel from the University of Bordeaux in France explained:

“This study has advanced the arguments, but the burial origins of these remains are yet to be fully explored and demonstrated.”

The scholar mentioned that evidence may point to another reason for why human remains ended up in the Thames: fierce clashes caused by fights over this vital river.

Importantly, the analysis of injuries on the bones is a goal for future research.

“Studying how exactly the human remains from the Thames might fit into these practices is one of the next exciting steps of the project,” added Arthur.

Reference

A hoard of 1368 coins, most of which are silver, was discovered in a pot in Worcestershire, a county in England. It was buried around 55 AD, when the Roman Empire, led by Emperor Nero, was struggling for control over England.