Archaeologists filming ‘Sandi Toksvig’s Hidden Wonders’ uncovered a 2,000-year-old murder mystery in Dorset, England, revealing the remains of a teenage girl buried face-down, potentially as part of a human sacrifice. The discovery, made during the filming of the television series, has sparked renewed interest in the Iron Age Durotriges tribe, who inhabited the region before the Roman conquest.
Bournemouth University, which announced the find in late October, noted that the team, led by archaeologist Sandi Toksvig, had been exploring the ancient settlement of Dorset. The site, part of a larger excavation, has yielded a number of artifacts, including bronze brooches, a bone comb, and a bangle. However, it was during a routine dig that the team uncovered what may be the remains of a teenager who was murdered and buried face-down.
Miles Russell, the excavation leader, explained that the teenager’s remains showed signs of having been tied up and that her wrists were fractured, indicating she may have been defending herself at the time of her death. The positioning of her body, along with the absence of grave goods typically found with other skeletons, suggests a possible ritualistic or sacrificial burial.
While most of the skeletons found at the site were carefully placed in formal burials, the teenager’s remains indicate a different narrative. The team is now working to determine how she came to be at the site and whether her death was part of a larger pattern of human sacrifice. The discovery has also raised questions about the social structure of the Durotriges tribe, with some experts suggesting that individuals of lower status, such as prisoners of war or slaves, may have been more likely to be selected for such a fate.
Russell expressed that the find has been particularly shocking, as it supports the Roman view that human sacrifice was common in pre-Roman Britain. The team is now looking to determine the status of the victim and the circumstances of her death, hoping to give her a voice through the evidence left behind.