“He also suffered from a number of diseases or deformities.”
""Pucker up, Stony"
Posted on 03/23/2008 11:56:45 AM PDT by Renfield
He's tall, well-preserved, and enjoys archery and gritty food. And despite his bad teeth, a slight stoop and an unfortunate growth on his face, he may be looking for a (very) mature woman.
If this description sounds all too familiar, then you may have found a direct descendant of Thanet’s Bronze Age man.
Experts examining a skeleton found on the Isle last week have painted a vivid picture of how the 4,000-year-old stranger might have looked – and he definitely wasn’t pretty.
The beautifully preserved remains were found during a routine archaeological dig on development site near Monkton on which a fresh fruit produce centre is set to be built.
The Canterbury Archaeological Trust (CAT) has since carried out extensive tests on the remains, and the results are fascinating.
The man is thought to have lived between 2200 and 2400 BC, and was buried in a ‘double ring-ditch’ funery mound, where one circular ditch lies within another – a ‘high status’ grave of which there are few in Kent.
There was a small dagger at his shoulder, and a very rare archer’s wrist guard on his arm.
Director of CAT Paul Bennett said: “We can see the man was about 30 or 40 years old and was very tall for the time – between 5ft 8 and 5ft 10in, which would have been abnormal.
“He also suffered from a number of diseases or deformities.”
The man had several infused vertebra, and would have suffered from ongoing back problems, and his teeth were also in a very poor state due to the amount of grit present in food at the time.
The man also had an unusually thick skull and a growth between his eyes that could have been a tumour, an infected wound or a birth deformity.
“His teeth were very worn down and would have been painful,” Mr Bennett added. “We can see he lost two adult teeth, so he probably took a trip to a Bronze Age dentist at some point.
“It’s safe to say he wasn’t pretty.”
Mr Bennett said it is possible, given the man’s abnormal height, that he may have been a traveller and not native to Thanet, but could also have been a local man with a series of unfortunate congenital defects.
Further test are being carried out to determine the ancient man’s likely profession and origin.
Bronze Age ping.
“He also suffered from a number of diseases or deformities.”
""Pucker up, Stony"
For some, the Isle of Thanet is an area of great economic potential and a new hub for culture vultures. Others see it as a poor shadow of its glory days as a thriving 1950s seaside resort.
But the dramatic discovery of a Bronze Age skeleton has resurrected considerable historical interest in the district and may just prove that a long-forgotten definition of its name is not merely based on myth and legend.
For Thanet is, literally, the Isle of the Dead.
Experts examining the remains of the 4,000-year-old skeleton, discovered by the Canterbury Archaeological Trust (CAT) near Monkton last week, say the find is an example how densely populated the land once was with burial mounds.
Director of CAT Paul Bennett said: “Thanet was covered with small burial mounds, many of which were in groups and clusters across the land – the area is not unique in that respect, but there are definitely a large number there and they would have been conspicuous.
“It had a rich agricultural landscape, and the mounds would have been visible to all probably up to medieval times when farming reduced them to flat land.”
~ Thanet giant: A strapping guy, but you wouldn't want to kiss him>>>
He added: “There is also the fact that the word ‘Thanet’ is thought to be derived from the Latin Thanatus, which means Isle of the Dead.”
East Kent is also thought to be the basis for the Greek legend of Ynys Thanatos (Isle of the Dead), where un-manned boats once rowed across the sea carrying bodies to the isle and returned empty before dawn.
But regardless of its gruesome past, the isle remains an archaeological hotspot.
The Ringlemere Cup, now on display in the British Museum, was discovered near Woodnesborough in 2001. This prompted further excavations of the area which uncovered a mass of Anglo-Saxon graves in 2005 and 2006.
Mr Bennett said: “The whole of East Kent has a very rich archaeological landscape, including Thanet, with many burial mounds, roman farms and villas, and settlements.”
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Thanks Renfield. |
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East Kent is also thought to be the basis for the Greek legend of Ynys Thanatos (Isle of the Dead), where un-manned boats once rowed across the sea carrying bodies to the isle and returned empty before dawn.
How exactly did that, uh, happen?
I don't know...that one got me too.
But where does that sentence appear?
Post 4.
and the paperback:
Extraordinary Voyage of Pytheas the Greek
by Barry Cunliffe
Extraordinary Voyage of Pytheas the Greek
by Barry Cunliffe
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