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Title: Over Fifty Beheaded Vikings Found in England
Source:
anthropology.suite101.com
URL Source: http://anthropology.suite101.com/ar ... d-in-southern-en#ixzz0iAndY0L5
Published: Mar 15, 2010
Author: Paula I. Nielson
Post Date: 2010-03-15 18:14:57 by Ferret
Keywords: None
Views: 258
Comments: 9
Last year workmen for the 2012 Olympics sailing venue in southern England came upon a grisly discovery. Fifty-one men had been severely injured, most of them beheaded, and tossed into a mass grave. The burial site was discovered during the construction of the Weymouth Relief Road, meant to ease traffic congestion on the highway to Weymouth. Weymouth Bay is found on England's southern coast and will host the Olympic sailing events during the 2012 London Olympics. Who Were these Executed Men? Radiocarbon dating has shown the executed men to have lived between 890 and 1030 C.E., which was just before the Norman conquest of Anglo-Saxon England. England was split at this time with Anglo-Saxons in the south and west, and the Danes in the north and east. The executors of the buried men were most probably the Anglo-Saxons who were Germanic peoples. From the Anglo-Saxons the English language developed, along with contributions from other peoples. Isotope analysis of teeth can uncover the origin of people from their drinking water and the climate that they came from. Analysis of their teeth has revealed that they came from cold climates such as Sweden and Norway, with one person from as far away as the Arctic Circle. The isotope studies also revealed that the buried men lived on a high-protein diet similar to people from Sweden at the time. Researchers believe that the buried men were Vikings executed by Anglo-Saxons. The men suffered several blows about the body, and showed defensive wounds on the hands. Those who were beheaded showed clean cuts of decapitating blows that are thought to have come from swords. The Vikings were found naked and beheaded, with their heads stacked to one side. No sign of clothing has been found -- no buttons, no weapons. They were probably war captives all dumped into one pit. The men took many blows but their state of health seems to indicate that they were strong men, all alive when decapitated. The burial was found on a hilltop by the ancient road to Weymouth which was already in existence at the time of the executions. Such a location was typical of Anglo-Saxon burials. Vikings were more likely to just leave the victims where they killed them. During the times of the Viking raids it would have been unsafe to live anywhere within twenty miles of the coastline. Modern Thought about the Vikings Today scholars are reversing the image of Vikings as evil barbarian plunderers. Vikings were actually from the upper class of Scandinavian society. They were fit, trained warriors, but also traders, farmers, explorers of the world, and innovators. The Vikings were unable to record their own history, they left cryptic runes only. Their history was penned mostly by the English and French who fell victim to their raids and fearfully described the exploits of the Vikings in exaggerated detail, while dismissing similar violence and theft by the other raiders of the era, who were actually equally as violent. Even Christian rulers treated the common people barbarically during the harsh medieval times, but the clergy and scribes were fearful of complaining about the non-Christian acts of the Christians for fear of further reprisals. Read more at Suite101: Over Fifty Beheaded Vikings Found in England: Viking Men Discovered Near Olympics 2012 Site http://anthropology.suite101.com/article.cfm/over-fifty-beheaded-vikings-found-in-southern-en#ixzz0iHn6APYR
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#1. To: Ferret (#0)
Life...Is...Dangerous !
Indeed. I sure would love to know the particulars on this mass execution. Were they caught napping? Did they pick on the wrong target? e.g. too many villagers with torches and Pitchforks. There are many possibilities. Perhaps they should do a Viking head toss competition during the Olympics there in 2012. I'm sure we could find enough stand in heads from government or the banking industry to make that a lively fête of a contest.
Although non-researched, I think the status quo voted for someone akin to Barrack 0bama. Just giving a best guess, of course.
OK, Buck here votes it was a wayward war party of lost and malicious Kenyans. Any other speculation? ;-)
Of course, piles of socialists eating off the fat of the land existed before the concept of "socialism" was formalized. Nothing more to it.
Mike... They played for keeps back then. Not good to be a loser.
True enough. I bet that when they failed to return with the stolen bacon the group of women folk who were interested parties to this group did some heavy mourning. As the article pointed out, they could ID these men's origin by effects extreme cold in their life had had on them. Quite possibly their demise led to some starving or freezing to death that Winter among those who depended on them for support. No stimulus spending was done way back then.
MOST people at that time were survivalists and did'nt know it.
Every once in awhile, "Modern Thought" gets it right...;-)
"If you love wealth more than liberty, the tranquility of servitude better than the animating contest of freedom, depart from us in peace. We ask not your counsel nor your arms. Crouch down and lick the hand that feeds you. May your chains rest lightly upon you and may posterity forget that you were our countrymen.”—Samuel Adams 
#2. To: Rotara (#1)
TEXT DOLPHIN To 44144
#3. To: Ferret (#2)
Were they caught napping? Did they pick on the wrong target? e.g. too many villagers with torches and Pitchforks.
#4. To: buckeroo (#3)
TEXT DOLPHIN To 44144
#5. To: Ferret (#4)
#6. To: Ferret (#0)
#7. To: Cynicom (#6)
TEXT DOLPHIN To 44144
#8. To: Ferret (#7)
No stimulus spending was done way back then.
#9. To: Ferret (#0)
Modern Thought about the Vikings Today scholars are reversing the image of Vikings as evil barbarian plunderers. Vikings were actually from the upper class of Scandinavian society. They were fit, trained warriors, but also traders, farmers, explorers of the world, and innovators.
"If you love wealth more than liberty, the tranquility of servitude better than the animating contest of freedom, depart from us in peace. We ask not your counsel nor your arms. Crouch down and lick the hand that feeds you. May your chains rest lightly upon you and may posterity forget that you were our countrymen.”—Samuel Adams
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