Girl 'murdered' by Roman soldiers in north Kent

[Viggen]

The body of a girl thought to have been murdered by Roman soldiers has been discovered in north Kent. Archaeologists working on the site of a Roman settlement near the A2 uncovered the girl who died almost 2,000 years ago. "She was killed by a Roman sword stabbing her in the back of the head," said Dr Paul Wilkinson, director of the excavation. "By the position of the entry wound she would have been kneeling at the time..."

 

...read the full article at the BBC

 

 

[DecimusCaesar]

That's a pretty gruesome find. Kent was invaded around AD 43, so this girl might have been killed around the time of Claudius's invasion of Britain, considering most archaeological dating techniques can't be 100% accurate - I think thae article said she died around AD 50. When you read the works of Tacitus and other Roman historians you get the sense that the Legions were pretty restless most of the time - there are constant stories of corruption, mutinies and poor treatment of soldiers by their commanding officers. This has got me thinking about how peaceful was the Pax Romana in reality? Sure, there might not have been any major wars, but I'm sure that the bored Roman legionaries would take out their frustration on the local population by murdering, robbing and raping civilians. After all, who was going to stop them?

[Metella]

I don't know ..... if she was on her knees and the stroke was from behind; perhaps it was an execution for some crime, one that disgusted them so they tossed her in a shallow grave.

 

(what? Me stand up for those ancient brutes?)