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Dozens of Britons were “killed and butchered” and then cannibalized after Bronze Age massacre, research shows
New research suggests that dozens of Bronze-Age era Britons were killed in an attack unlike any previous known to archaelogists studying that time period and location.
The research on human remains from Charterhouse Warren in southwest England, conducted by a team of researchers from multiple institutions including Oxford University, was published in Antiquity, a journal of world archaeology. It found that at least 37 Bronze Age-era men, women and children were “killed and butchered” and then cannibalized, with their bodies then thrown down a nearly 50-foot deep natural shaft. While archaeologists have found the remains of Bronze Age and later Britons who died violently, those incidents were largely isolated. Mass graves from this era have also been found, but the remains were laid to rest respectfully, unlike those studied.
Researchers first became aware of the shaft in the 1970s. Two excavations were conducted in the 1970s and 1980s. The human remains, as well as some artifacts including a flint dagger, were found at multiple spots in the shaft during these digs. More than 3,000 individual human bones and bone fragments have been recovered overall. Those bones were used to estimate that at least 37 individual sets of remains were in the shaft. Different bone lengths show that the people killed were both male and female, and ranged in age from infants to grown adults. Ongoing research is working to determine how the people were related to each other.
The way the remains were disposed of made the detailed examination possible, the researchers said. The shaft helped preserve the bones and keep them grouped together.
Cambridge University Press on behalf of Antiquity Publications Ltd
The bones “display clear evidence of blunt force trauma,” according to researchers, suggesting that many of the people in the shaft “suffered a violent death.” Other injuries, including removal of the scalp and severed muscles in the jaw suggesting removal of the tongue or lower jaw, also likely occurred, evidenced by marks on the bones, the researchers said. Some of the victims may have been beheaded or dismembered.
It’s possible that the victims were held captive or ambushed, because of the severity of the injuries, the researchers said. It’s not clear who could have carried out the attacks.
There is also evidence that the bodies were cannibalized, the researchers said, including human teethmarks on the bones and indicators that marrow, the soft tissue inside bones, was removed. The researchers said the cannibalism was likely conducted “within a context of a violent conflict, in which individuals are dehumanized and treated as animals.”
“Some 37 men, women and children—and possibly many more—were killed at close quarters with blunt instruments and then systematically dismembered and defleshed, their long bones fractured in a way that can only be described as butchery,” the researchers said.
Later in the publication, the researchers referred to the scene as a “massacre,” and suggested it may have even been a “political statement” of violence so brazen it would have “resonated across the wider region and over time.” However, it’s not clear what could have led to the violence: “Neither climate change, ethnic conflict nor competition over material resources seem to offer convincing explanations,” according to the researchers, leaving the only likely option that the violence broke out as part of a pattern of revenge or violence between communities.
“At this stage, our investigation has raised as many questions as it has answered,” the researchers said. “Work is ongoing to shed more light on this decidedly dark episode in British prehistory.”
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Frontier Airlines is selling an “all you can fly” pass for 2025. Here’s how the $299 offer works.
Frontier Airlines has announced an “all you can fly” pass for 2025-2026, with the $299 “GoWild!” deal including a year’s worth of unlimited flights — with some restrictions.
To be eligible, pass holders must be U.S. residents and members of Frontier Miles, the airline’s loyalty program, before they purchase the annual membership. If they’re not members, they’ll automatically be enrolled.
“The GoWild! Pass is perfect for spontaneous adventurers, budget-savvy travelers and anyone dreaming of limitless journeys,” Frontier Airlines chief commercial officer Bobby Schroeter said in a statement. “At $299, this is the lowest price we’ve ever offered, making it easier than ever to explore amazing destinations across the U.S., Caribbean, Mexico and Latin America. This limited-time pricing will only be offered to those who act fast!”
Here’s how the “Go Wild!” pass works
Once you purchase the $299 deal, you can book tickets on select Frontier flights for just a penny.
The airline warns that not every flight operated by Frontier is available for booking through the GoWild! pass. Additionally, pass holders must pay any taxes and fees associated with the airfare.
What kind of seat do you get?
GoWild! pass holders cannot reserve seats in advance, nor do their fares include carry-on or checked baggage, although these extras may be purchased separately.
When can I book flights?
The unlimited pass allows travelers to make reservations the day before a flight’s departure for domestic travel, and ten days before an international flight’s departure date.
The pass is valid for travel between May 1, 2025, and April 30, 2026, Frontier said.
There are certain blackout dates around holidays and other busy travel periods, during which the GoWild! Pass cannot be redeemed for a plane ticket. Additionally, pass holders cannot purchase tickets on behalf of other travelers.
The $299 price tag is only available for a limited time, and the pass automatically renews for a fee of $699, according to the airline. The deal expires after 11:59 p.m. MST on Dec. 18, 2024. After that, the passes will still be available, but for $499.
Frontier first offered the annual pass in 2022, which was for travel in 2023. Low-cost carriers have struggled to attract customers of late, as fliers increasingly turn to premium travel offerings, and even legacy carriers introduce new, bare-bones ticket options to compete for budget-conscious customers.
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President-elect Donald Trump fired another salvo in his long-running effort to have his New York criminal conviction tossed, with his attorneys alleging earlier this month that there was juror misconduct during his trial.
In a previously undisclosed Dec. 3 letter to Justice Juan Merchan that was made public Tuesday, Todd Blanche and Emil Bove wrote that there was “grave juror misconduct” in the proceedings in a Manhattan courtroom earlier this year.
However, heavy redactions in the letter and subsequent exchanges with prosecutors obscured almost all information about the accusations themselves.
“The jury in this case was not anywhere near fair and impartial,” they wrote.
Merchan on Tuesday directed Trump to make the redacted letter public, and instructed prosecutors to publish their own redacted responses. The judge also criticized Trump’s lawyers for making such serious allegations without sworn statements.
Prosecutors called the allegations “vague accusations of juror misconduct” in one of their responses. They claimed Trump’s attorneys did not want to have the allegations subject to investigation or a public hearing.
“Notwithstanding the import of their allegations, counsel do not request and in fact oppose a hearing at which their allegations could be fully examined, referring to such a hearing as ‘invasive fact-finding,'” wrote a prosecutor for Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.
Still, they argued such an investigation wasn’t yet appropriate.
“Counsel’s allegations fall far short of the standard required to request such a hearing in any event,” they wrote.
It is unclear if the allegations relate to a June 7 letter from Merchan that alerted prosecutors and Trump’s attorneys to a comment left on the court’s Facebook page the night before Trump’s conviction.
“My cousin is a juror and says Trump is getting convicted,” the user wrote. “Thank you folks for all your hard work!!!!”
The person who made the comment had previously described themselves as a “professional s**tposter.”
Trump was found guilty in May of 34 counts of falsifying business records, connected with a scheme to cover up a “hush money” payment to an adult film star. He pleaded not guilty and is contesting the conviction on multiple fronts.
Frontier Airlines is selling an “all you can fly” pass for 2025. Here’s how the $299 offer works.
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Frontier Airlines is selling an “all you can fly” pass for 2025. Here’s how the $299 offer works.
Court case that could decide control of Minnesota House continues with testimony