New Tests Planned for Bronze Age “Racton Man”

News April 14, 2014

SHARE:
(Courtesy The Novium)

CHICHESTER, ENGLAND—A Bronze-Age dagger and jaw bone discovered in 1989 by a metal detectorist led to the excavation of a skeleton known as Racton Man. Staining on the bones suggests that the supposed man, who had been buried in a crouched position, was holding the dagger. Rivets were also found in the grave. Recently, scientists have begun to clean the bones and further investigate the remains. Osteological analysis, isoptopic analysis, and carbon dating are planned. “We’re calling him the Mystery Man because we’re waiting for all this analysis to try and find out more about him,” Amy Roberts, collections officer at The Novium, told Culture 24.

  • Features March/April 2014

    All Hands on Deck

    Inviting the world to explore a shipwreck deep in the Gulf of Mexico

    Read Article
    (Courtesy NOAA)
  • Features March/April 2014

    Messengers to the Gods

    During a turbulent period in ancient Egypt, common people turned to animal mummies to petition the gods, inspiring the rise of a massive religious industry

    Read Article
    Courtesy The Brooklyn Museum
  • Letter From Borneo March/April 2014

    The Landscape of Memory

    Archaeology, oral history, and culture deep in the Malaysian jungle

    Read Article
    (Jerry Redfern)
  • Artifacts March/April 2014

    Chimú-Inca Funerary Idols

    Read Article
    (Matthew Helmer)