Archaeologists discover a rare example of a Roman crucifixion in England

Archaeologists They discovered what they believe to be the first example of crucifixion in Northern Europe.

The skeleton of a man with a nail in his heel was discovered in Finstanton, Cambridgeshire, eastern France. England, by specialists from archeology albion, England.

The archaeological team made the discovery while excavating a roadside settlement in 2017 in Fenstanton, which is on the Devana Road, a road connecting the Roman cities of Cambridge and Godmanchester.

There are several Iron Age sites in the area, but this settlement, covering at least 60,000 square meters, is believed to be a road robbery from a Roman adventure, formed in the first or early second century AD, according to experts.

Team results

The team discovered five small tombs and a few isolated sites, housing 48 individuals.

Among the Roman tombs at the site, archaeologists discovered the skeleton of a man, aged between 25 and 35, with a nail in his heel.

Twelve nails were found around the skeleton, which experts say indicated they were set in a slab or coffin – however, the 13th screw ran horizontally through the man’s right heel bone.

The man’s lower legs showed signs of thinning, possibly due to infection, inflammation, or irritation from being tied or chained.

“It seems inconceivable that a screw was accidentally driven into the bone during the construction of the wooden support into which the body was placed – in fact, there are even signs of a second shallow hole indicating an unsuccessful first attempt to dig a hole,” the archaeologists explained in a statement. Journalist.

“While this cannot be considered indisputable evidence of a man’s crucifixion, it appears to be the only plausible explanation – making it at most the fourth instance recorded worldwide by archaeological evidence,” they said.

Experts said there was only one more example of a nail running through the bone. Albion Archeology.

It was in Givat Hamivtar, north of Jerusalem, during construction work in 1968.

skeletons nailed

Skeletons with a similar hole have been discovered in Gavilo, Italy, and Mendes in Egypt, but without a screw in place or questions about how the holes formed.

Crucifixion was relatively common in Roman times, but victims were often chained to a cross rather than nailed, and if nails were used, they were usually removed later.”

“The remarkable truth about this skeleton is not that the man was crucified, but that his body was recovered after death and formally buried with others, leaving us with this very rare evidence of what happened to him.”

The excavation of the settlement also revealed a siege far from the local sites.

One attachment contains many fossils from animals, indicating a large-scale industrial process where cattle bones are broken down to obtain marrow and fat to make soap or tallow for candles.

(Translated text, read the original text in English here)