Archaeologists have uncovered the remains of a teenage girl buried face down in a pit at an Iron Age settlement in Dorset, during filming of Sandi Toksvig's new Channel 4 series, 'Hidden Wonders'. The discovery has been described as a 'murder mystery' from 2,000 years ago.
The excavation, led by Bournemouth University archaeologist Miles Russell, revealed domestic dwellings and a cemetery belonging to the Durotriges tribe, who lived in rural Dorset before the Roman invasion. Analysis of the skeleton showed damage to the girl's arms and upper torso, possibly from violence before death. Burying someone face down was not typical at the time, leading researchers to suspect she was murdered as a human sacrifice.
Toksvig, who holds a degree in Archaeology and Anthropology from Cambridge, was visibly moved by the find. 'I turned the face at last to the light and it felt like the person was looking at me... At that moment, I unexpectedly burst into tears,' she told Metro. Dr Russell noted that the team was shocked by the possibility of human sacrifice, but Toksvig's deep interest in archaeology was evident.
The site also yielded evidence that the Durotriges were a matriarchal society. DNA analysis suggests women owned the land, with men originating from various parts of Britain and northwest Europe. 'It marks the first time that evidence of matrilineal communities have been documented in western European prehistory,' Dr Russell said.
The series, which explores Britain's hidden gems, features Toksvig presenting discoveries from four sites. The finds at this location included tools and implements blending Roman and Iron Age styles, offering insights into how the tribe lived and died 2,000 years ago.
