Archaeologists have discovered a macabre part of the River Thames’s history. For over 6,000 years, humans have been dumping bodies into the London river.
The new study examined 61 skeletons — 30 newly retrieved ones and 31 previously studied specimens. Radiocarbon dating showed that the remains span a period from about 4000 BC to 1800 AD. A significant chunk of them dates all the way back to the Bronze Age (2300 to 800 BC) and the Iron Age (800 BC to 43 AD). This suggests that the practice was particularly common during these eras.
“These don’t appear to just be bones that have steadily accumulated in the river through time,” Nicola Arthur, the study’s lead author, told Live Science. “There really was something significant going on in the Bronze and Iron Ages.”
Studying skeletons from the Thames is not new. Since the 19th century, scholars have debated why Britain’s early people often threw bodies into the water. One theory is that it was a ritual of some sort. In many ancient cultures, rivers were revered as sacred, and offering human remains might serve to honor deities or to seek their favor. This pattern occurs across northwestern Europe, explained Arthur, but it’s still too early to conclude this was the main motivation.
A second theory: The remains may be the result of violence. Not just individual mayhem: Ancient communities would have fought over this vital resource and strategic route. Some of the skeletons pulled from the river show signs of trauma.
Although human remains are not uncommon in European waterways, the sheer number of skeletons discovered in the Thames is unparalleled.