Horrific discovery of dozens of headless skeletons in Britain

CAIRO – 6 February 2022: Archaeologists have discovered 40 headless skeletons in a large Roman-era cemetery near Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, England. This bizarre find joins another discovery of headless skeletons from the area's ancient past.

The latest discovery was made during the construction of a high-speed railway next to the cemetery in Fleet Marston, the largest cemetery of its kind in Buckinghamshire, according to Sky News.

Of the 425 bodies exhumed by archaeologists, 40 heads of skeletons were removed. In most cases, the skull is found placed between the legs or next to the feet.

Experts believe that the skeletons belong to people who may have been criminals or outcasts in their community, or the bodies had just been decapitated in a "regular, albeit marginal" burial practice from the late Roman period. The archaeological team also found several cremations in the tomb, a practice that was apparently less common during the late Roman period.

The archaeological team from COPA spent a year excavating the cemetery and the nearby settlement dating back nearly 2,000 years.

Aside from the skeletal remains, they also discovered more than 1,200 coins in Fleet Marston - suggesting that the area may also have been important economically.

A few household objects have also been found, including pins, spoons, dice, and bells.