Image Credit: Bournemouth University

TV Crew Uncovers Iron Age Sacrifice at Ancient British Settlement

A television crew filming a new archaeology series in Dorset has uncovered a chilling 2,000-year-old mystery: the remains of a teenage girl believed to have been killed as part of a human sacrifice.
The discovery was made during the filming of Sandi Toksvig’s Hidden Wonders, with presenter Sandi Toksvig joining archaeologists from Bournemouth University at an excavation of an Iron Age settlement once inhabited by the Durotriges tribe. The site had already produced everyday artifacts — bronze brooches, a bone comb, and a bronze bangle — offering a glimpse into life before the Roman conquest.
But the tone shifted dramatically when the team uncovered a face-down skeleton of a young girl thrown into a pit. Unlike the formal burials found nearby, which included carefully arranged bodies and grave goods, this girl had no offerings. Her awkward position and lack of ceremonial treatment immediately raised suspicion.
Analysis revealed she had performed heavy manual labor, likely from childhood, placing her at the lower end of society — possibly an enslaved person or prisoner. The skeleton also showed an unhealed wrist fracture, suggesting she tried to defend herself before death, and signs that her hands had been tied.
Lead archaeologist Miles Russell said the evidence strongly points to ritual killing or deliberate execution. “It supports Roman accounts describing frequent human sacrifice in pre-Roman Britain,” he noted. “Our goal now is to understand who these victims were, why they were chosen, and restore their identity.”
Toksvig, who studied archaeology at Cambridge, was visibly moved by the discovery, describing the moment as both extraordinary and profoundly sad.

Published on: 24-11-2025

Source: Fox News