Archaeologists discover ancient cooking pot filled with human bones

London archaeologists have made quite a gruesome discovery.

Researchers found a 2,000-year-old cooking pot near the Walbrook river — and it was filled with human bones. The area had previously yielded 40 human skulls, but the new find adds another layer of intrigue to the mix. Archaeologists found the pot while excavating the site to make way for London's Crossrail Project, a new railway line in the city.

The site, known as Londinium in the Roman world, was the capital of a Roman province, Ancient Origins explains. The archaeologists suspect that the skulls belong to rebels who were slaughtered during the rebellion of the Celtic Queen Boudicca. Boudicca, queen of the Iceni tribe, led a revolt of British forces against the Roman empire in 60-61 C.E.

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Before the cooking pot was discovered, historians believed the skulls had landed in the river bank accidentally, washed there from another civilization. But the new find suggests the skulls were placed there on purpose, since the bone-filled pot was no accident. The skulls also showed signs of trauma from weapons, suggesting they belonged to Romans who were killed by Boudicca's forces.