British scientists from the Natural History Museum in London, led by curator Nicola Arthur, discovered the origin of hundreds of human skeletons found at the bottom of the River Thames. In the study, researchers conducted radiocarbon analysis on 30 skeletons, revealing that their ages range between 6,000 and 200 years. This wide range indicates that the Thames River has been a site for body disposal over a long period.
The study was published in the journal Antiquity sheds new light on human remains found in the River Thames.
Most of the skeletons found in the Thames River originate from the late Bronze Age and the early Iron Age, specifically dating from 2300 to 800 BCE and 800 BCE to 43 CE. By comparing their data to historical dates, the researchers found that the remains date between 4000 BCE and 1800 CE. "The big question for these human bones is how they ended up in the river," Arthur stated. The aim of the study was to investigate when and why the corpses ended up in the river, particularly focusing on funerary practices.
"Most people—including Londoners—are surprised to hear that hundreds of human bones come from the River Thames," said Arthur, according to LiveScience. "We can now say with confidence that these don't appear to just be bones that have steadily accumulated in the river through time," she said. "There really was something going on in the Bronze and Iron Ages," she noted.
The analysis revealed that many of the remains had moved upstream from their original placements. "We have found patterns of skeletal trauma on the bones of the Thames human remains," said Arthur. The London specialists state that, from the data collected so far, there is evidence of violent deaths.
Initial theories about the bodies in the Thames River ranged from battles to drowning victims. By the late 20th century, it was concluded that most of the corpses resulted from the erosion of graves on the riverbanks and from drowning victims. Recent radiocarbon analyses have disproven the hypothesis that the remains are from a battle between Celts and Romans.
One possible reason for the presence of these remains is the ritual placement of bodies in water, which was common in northwestern Europe during prehistoric times. "Violence is a particularly common theme for later prehistoric human remains from watery places," Arthur said.
The research team considers that ancient tribes might have been fighting over the Thames River, with the bones being remnants of the aftermath.
According to the authors of the study, analyses are currently continuing with the inventory and description of these traces of violence on the human bones. "If they will support the idea of forgotten battles or prehistoric funerary practices is the greatest challenge of the new project," Arthur concluded.
The exact reason for the placement of the corpses in the Thames is unclear. "The big question for these human bones is how they ended up in the river," Arthur stated.
This article was written in collaboration with generative AI company Alchemiq