Skull found by river is from Iron Age

A skull discovered by a dog walker in Somerset dates back to the late Iron Age, archaeologists have revealed.

Roger Evans, of Newtown, found the skull along the banks of the River Sowy in Langport back in March 2017.

The skull was reported to the police and analysed.

Tests carried out over months have established that it belonged to a woman aged 45 or older during the late Iron Age. This period stretches from 380-190BC – several centuries before the first Roman invasion of Britain.

Analysis by a human bone expert found that the skull had suffered from gum disease and tooth loss.

The woman’s diet included coarse material, which had unevenly worn her remaining teeth and resulted in severe osteoarthritis in the joint of her right jaw.

She had suffered at least one episode of chronic illness or nutritional stress during childhood. Her head appears to have been deliberately removed at, or shortly after, death.

Richard Brunning, archaeologist at the South West Heritage Trust, said: “Severed heads are not an unusual discovery for the Iron Age, but the placement of the skull in a wetland beside a wooden structure is very rare, possibly reflecting a practice of making ritual offerings in watery environments.”