Human skeletons showing traces of violence discovered in disused medieval wells: Two case studies
In Normandy, near Rouen, in Tournedos-sur-Seine and Val-de-Reuil, two adult skeletons thrown into wells during the Middle Ages have been studied. The wells are located at two separate sites just 3 km apart. Both sites consist of clustered settlements inhabited from the seventh to the tenth century a...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Manchester University Press
2021-04-01
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| Series: | Human Remains and Violence |
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| _version_ | 1818005664547471360 |
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| author | Florence Carré Aminte Thomann Yves-Marie Adrian |
| author_facet | Florence Carré Aminte Thomann Yves-Marie Adrian |
| author_sort | Florence Carré |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | In Normandy, near Rouen, in Tournedos-sur-Seine and Val-de-Reuil, two adult skeletons thrown into wells during the Middle Ages have been studied. The wells are located at two separate sites just 3 km apart. Both sites consist of clustered settlements inhabited from the seventh to the tenth century and arranged around a cemetery. The backfill of the well shafts contains animal remains, but also partially or completely articulated human bodies. In Val-de-Reuil, the incomplete skeleton of a man, probably representing a secondary deposition, had traces of a violent blow on the skull, certainly with a blunt weapon. In Tournedos-sur-Seine, a woman thrown in headfirst had several impact points and bone fractures on the skull that could have been caused by perimortem mistreatment or a violent death. After a detailed description of the two finds and a contextualisation in the light of similar published cases, we will discuss the possible scenarios for the death and deposition of the individuals as well as their place in their communities. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-14T04:47:09Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-26d9b8253b0c48ab9219a29a60007ba6 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2054-2240 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-14T04:47:09Z |
| publishDate | 2021-04-01 |
| publisher | Manchester University Press |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Human Remains and Violence |
| spelling | doaj.art-26d9b8253b0c48ab9219a29a60007ba62022-12-22T02:11:25ZengManchester University PressHuman Remains and Violence2054-22402021-04-017131710.7227/HRV.7.1.2Human skeletons showing traces of violence discovered in disused medieval wells: Two case studiesFlorence Carré0Aminte Thomann1Yves-Marie Adrian2Service régional de l’archéologie, DRAC NormandieINRAP, Grand Quevilly Archaeological CentreINRAP, Grand Quevilly Archaeological CentreIn Normandy, near Rouen, in Tournedos-sur-Seine and Val-de-Reuil, two adult skeletons thrown into wells during the Middle Ages have been studied. The wells are located at two separate sites just 3 km apart. Both sites consist of clustered settlements inhabited from the seventh to the tenth century and arranged around a cemetery. The backfill of the well shafts contains animal remains, but also partially or completely articulated human bodies. In Val-de-Reuil, the incomplete skeleton of a man, probably representing a secondary deposition, had traces of a violent blow on the skull, certainly with a blunt weapon. In Tournedos-sur-Seine, a woman thrown in headfirst had several impact points and bone fractures on the skull that could have been caused by perimortem mistreatment or a violent death. After a detailed description of the two finds and a contextualisation in the light of similar published cases, we will discuss the possible scenarios for the death and deposition of the individuals as well as their place in their communities.middle ageswellsdumpsnormandyviolence |
| spellingShingle | Florence Carré Aminte Thomann Yves-Marie Adrian Human skeletons showing traces of violence discovered in disused medieval wells: Two case studies Human Remains and Violence middle ages wells dumps normandy violence |
| title | Human skeletons showing traces of violence discovered in disused medieval wells: Two case studies |
| title_full | Human skeletons showing traces of violence discovered in disused medieval wells: Two case studies |
| title_fullStr | Human skeletons showing traces of violence discovered in disused medieval wells: Two case studies |
| title_full_unstemmed | Human skeletons showing traces of violence discovered in disused medieval wells: Two case studies |
| title_short | Human skeletons showing traces of violence discovered in disused medieval wells: Two case studies |
| title_sort | human skeletons showing traces of violence discovered in disused medieval wells two case studies |
| topic | middle ages wells dumps normandy violence |
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