The osteological evidence for execution in Anglo-Saxon England
Mattison, A. Williams-Ward, Michelle L. Buckberry, Jo Hadley, D.M. Holgate, R.
Mattison, A.
Williams-Ward, Michelle L.
Buckberry, Jo
Hadley, D.M.
Holgate, R.
Publication Date
2022
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2022
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Abstract
This paper reviews the osteological evidence for execution in Anglo-Saxon England,
which, in the cases of modern analysis, can reveal considerable detail about the methods of
decapitation, in particular, and it also provides a critical appraisal of the considerably less reliable
antiquarian reports. We suggest that secure evidence for execution, principally decapitation,
can be identified through modern osteological analysis but it is limited, and we also argue that
assertions made in antiquarian excavation reports about apparent examples of execution need to
be treated with caution.
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Mattison A, Williams-Ward M, Buckberry J et al (2022) The osteological evidence for execution in Anglo-Saxon England. In: Quiroga JL and Frutos LR (Eds.) Bioarchaeology of Injuries and Violence in Early Medieval Europe. Oxford: BAR Publishing.
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Book chapter