Archaeologists unearth teenage murder victim from the 11th century

The bones of a medieval teenager, discovered in Co Sligo.

(Image credit: Twitter)

published 14 September 2015

When archaeologists uncovered the skeleton of a young man among the roots of a massive beech tree in Collooney, Co Sligo, they also discovered his violent death nearly a millennium before. The skeleton, which a bone analysis revealed to be of a 17 to 20-year-old man, had two stab wounds to the chest and another on his left hand, which The Irish Times reports is "presumably from trying to ward off his attacker." The teen is believed to have died between 1030 and 1200 A.D.

Archaeologists described the excavation of the skeleton as "certainly an unusual situation," because of its placement within the tree roots. "The upper part of the skeleton was raised into the air trapped within the root system. The lower leg bones, however, remained intact in the ground," Marion Dowd of Sligo-Leitrim Archaeological Services told The Irish Times. "Effectively as the tree collapsed, it snapped the skeleton in two."

Once unearthed, further analysis of the young man's bones revealed him to be about 5 foot, 10 inches in height, which The Irish Times notes is taller than the average height of a medieval person. His bones revealed mild spinal joint disease, likely indicating that he had been doing physical labor since he was young. The teen received a Christian burial.