17 decapitated skeletons found at ancient Roman cemetery in UK

Seventeen decapitated skeletons dating back about 1,700 years have been discovered in three Roman cemeteries at Knobb's Farm in Cambridgeshire, in the U.K. Archaeologists who excavated the site think that the people were executed for violating Roman laws. The cemeteries hold the burials of 52 people, and the 17 decapitated bodies include those of nine men and eight women and all over 25 years of age at time of death.

The number of capital crimes in Roman law increased dramatically during the third and fourth centuries, around the time these skeletons were buried. Death offenses grew from 14 at the start of the third century to around 60 by the death of Constantine in A.D. 337. Evidence suggests that the Roman military used Knobb's farm as a supply center, and would have dealt harshly with any infractions.