Shackled skeleton identified as rare evidence of slavery in Roman Britain

[Judi Lynn]

‘Internationally significant’ discovery of male with burial chains in Rutland is first of its kind

Mark Brown
Mon 7 Jun 2021 01.00 EDT

His ankles secured with heavy, locked iron fetters, the enslaved man appears to have been thrown in a ditch – a final act of indignity in death.

Now the discovery of the shackled male skeleton by workers in Rutland – thought to have been aged in his late 20s or early 30s – has been identified as rare and important evidence of slavery in Roman Britain and “an internationally significant find”.

It was also desperately grim, said Chris Chinnock, one of the archaeologists working on the project, but was important because it “forces us to ask questions that we wouldn’t ordinarily ask”.

Builders came across the bones when they were constructing a conservatory at a house in Great Casterton. Police were called and subsequent radiocarbon dating showed the remains were from between AD226 to AD427.
Archaeologists from the Museum of London Archaeology (Mola) were called in and have been researching the skeleton, with their findings published on Monday in the journal Britannia.

No one doubts that slavery existed during the Roman occupation of Britain but discovering direct archaeological evidence is another matter. Most of what is known comes from inscriptions. “To have the opportunity to study the body of a person who quite probably was a slave is really important,” said Michael Marshall, a finds specialist at Mola.

More:
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/jun/07/shackled-skeleton-identified-rare-evidence-roman-britain

[mopinko]

1. imho, what separates slavery of africans in america is that it was multigenerational.

otherwise, slavery was common in human history.
i say that as the daughter of indentured irishmen.

[hlthe2b]

2. Human cruelty to other humans is hardly limited by race, ethnicity, geography

Nor even the time period. Enslavement of the "Other" and the more readily exploited continues to this day--including in this country. Anti-immigrant bigotry and policies have enabled it--especially in the sex trade. Those who whitewash our past cannot bury what is ongoing.

[Polly Hennessey]

3. Slavery has existed throughout human history.

It is not a recent behavior.

[Chainfire]

4. Hang on a minute; how could they differentiate a "slave" from a criminal?

While I certainly believe that the Romans used slave labor in their works in G.B., why assume that this individual was a slave?

Perhaps the young man was a mass murderer, who is to say that he was not an insolent soldier? A slave, cobbled up like that, would have been useless for work. which is generally the purpose of slavery. I would also wonder why the expensive shackles would not have been retrieved.

[intheflow]

5. Exactly the question I had!

I've only heard about Roman slaves being buried with other enslaved people, and buried with items for the afterlife, like pottery and food. Meanwhile, I've heard that certain criminals were just thrown into pits. This person was shackled and in a pit. I'm guessing they were a criminal.

[Warpy]

7. Slaves are usually identified by wear patterns on their bones

not shackles on their legs. Likely this guy was a criminal, a war captive, or some other miscreant about to be sold into slavery in a truly rotten job like Roman mining, where life span was often measured in days. Unless there's an obvious COD, it's likely he threw himself into that ditch, drowning being preferable to anything else he'd be likely to face.

[cbabe]

6. Odd valuable

metal was thrown away.

One of my most terrifying moments was seeing real slave chains at an Indiana flea market. I wish I had bought them to show others. No one can comprehend the vicious deep cruelty without seeing the real thing.