brǣċ

What this skeleton told us: Evidence

A young adult or teenager/adolescent of uncertain sex and with poor bone preservation. Some indication of infection in the area of the lower left thigh bone (femur). There are also some possible cut marks on the lower left thigh and wrist bones.

Interpretation of the evidence

Child mortality was likely high in Anglo-Saxon Britain. This child probably died from a communicable disease (infection), and the infection of the lower left thigh may have led to sepsis (when the body’s response to infection causes injury to its own tissues and organs). The cut marks are interesting but difficult to interpret – is it evidence of a medical procedure related to the infection or post-mortem damage relating to grave disturbance?