Archaeologists doing survey work at Victoria Primary School in Edinburgh, Scotland, came across quite a surprise when they discovered the skeleton of a 16th-century pirate underneath the playground. The playground sits atop what was once a gallows on the dockyards some 600 years ago. Based on the skeleton's burial in the gibbet rather than in one of three nearby graveyards and its proximity to the harbor, archaeologists surmise that the man was executed for a crime — perhaps piracy — and then displayed before being buried in a shallow, unmarked grave.
"Thanks to carbon dating techniques, archaeologists now know that the skeleton was likely to have been a murder victim — and quite possibly a pirate," Edinburgh culture convener Richard Lewis said. Archaeologists working with a forensic artist have created a facial reconstruction of the victim, revealing a man likely in his 50s. His murder was probably intended to deter other pirates.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
How long will Social Security remain solvent?Today's Big Question And what can be done to fix its current precarious situation?
-
Will Jimmy Carter's one-term presidency be viewed more favorably after his death?Today's Big Question Carter's time in the White House has always played second fiddle to his post-presidency accomplishments
-
'Regret can be toxic'Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Top Russian general killed in Moscow blastSpeed Read A remote-triggered bomb killed Lt. Gen. Igor Kirillov, the head of Russia's Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Defense
-
Why Assad fell so fastThe Explainer The newly liberated Syria is in an incredibly precarious position, but it's too soon to succumb to defeatist gloom
-
NATO chief urges Europe to arm against RussiaSpeed Read Mark Rutte said Putin wants to 'wipe Ukraine off the map' and might come for other parts of Europe next
-
New Syria government takes charge, urging 'stability'Speed Read The rebel forces that ousted Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad announced an interim government
-
Romania's election rerunThe Explainer Shock result of presidential election has been annulled following allegations of Russian interference
-
Russia's shadow war in EuropeTalking Point Steering clear of open conflict, Moscow is slowly ratcheting up the pressure on Nato rivals to see what it can get away with.
-
South Korea roiled by short-lived martial lawSpeed Read President Yoon Suk Yeol's imposition of martial law was a 'clear violation of the constitution,' said the opposition parties who have moved to impeach him
-
Syrian rebels seize Aleppo in surprise offensiveSpeed Read The rebels made gains against President Bashar al-Assad’s forces and reignited Syria's 13-year-old civil war
