A Bronze Age skeleton, found buried with one of the first bronze daggers in the UK, could have been one of our early rulers who died in combat.
Racton Man - as he is now known, due to where he was found - has finally given up some of his secrets, thanks to scientific research carried out across the United Kingdom.
Specialists from England, Wales and Scotland have spent months scientifically analysing his teeth, bones and dagger to start creating a picture of who this man was, how he died and where he was from, plus his age, height and details of his health.
They believe that the Racton Man was probably a tribal leader from the very beginning of the Bronze Age. Their research makes him significant on a national scale. Scientists have determined that he was buried more than 4,000 years ago and was over 45 at the time of his death. He is now on display, along with his story, at The Novium Museum in Chichester, which is run by Chichester District Council.
Of particular interest is the bronze dagger found in the hands of the skeleton. This is now established as one of the earliest bronze artefacts in the country and is one of only seven ornate rivet studded daggers ever discovered.
"What makes his dagger so stunning is the rivet studded hilt," says Dr Stuart Needham, the Bronze Age specialist, who pulled together all of the research.
"Its design is distinctively British, but of greater significance is the fact that it dates to the transition from copper to bronze metallurgy. This dagger is bronze and so this item would have been incredibly rare at the time; its colour and keen hard edge would have distinguished it from the more common copper objects in use. We don't understand the social structure of this time, but he would have been a very prominent member of society, someone of great seniority.
"The dagger would have been made very early in the period of transition when copper tools and weapons gave way to bronze ones. This marked the start of a new technology that depended not only on the control of high temperatures, but also on the sophisticated use of raw materials to create alloys for the first time. The radiocarbon result is even earlier than I had expected for the first bronze implements here.
"Copper metallurgy reached Ireland and Britain much later than other parts of Europe. However, as metallurgy became established, metalworkers latched onto the presence of tin in Cornwall and Devon. They were able to find enough tin to produce bronze systematically throughout Britain and Ireland. This is an important watershed and meant that the insular metalworkers were able to consolidate the practice of alloying to a degree that was not seen anywhere else in Europe. Racton Man would have been right at the cutting edge of this technological advance."
"The results from the research are staggering," says James Kenny, the Archaeologist at Chichester District Council who originally discovered the skeleton in 1989 near Westbourne, outside Chichester.
"We are in a really privileged position because we have all of the facts to hand - from the original excavation to the scientific analysis that has just been carried out. This is very rare for burials around this period.
"To start with, the fact that this man had a bronze dagger would have been phenomenally rare then - let alone now. This would have been right at the start of the introduction of this type of technology and would have been one of the first bronze daggers in existence in this country.
"There are so few burials dating back to the early Bronze Age - especially in the Chichester region. It's also rare to find such a distinctive burial that has been archaeologically excavated in recent times. For me, this is really special because I've been able to see this through from the original discovery to final analysis."
Isotope analysis undertaken on one of the Racton Man's teeth by experts from Durham University shows that he could have been brought up in southern Britain - possibly somewhere to the west of Sussex. Radiocarbon dating of the remains was undertaken by the Scottish Universities Environmental Research Centre in Glasgow. The result suggests that he died sometime in the period 2300BC - 2150BC.
Analysis of his bones by the London Institute of Archaeology suggests that he was 6ft tall and that he displays signs of spinal degeneration, which is thought to be age related. They also found that he suffered from a chronic sinus infection, as well as an abscess and tooth decay. Evidence has also been found of a peri-mortem cut - at or near the time of death - to the right upper arm bone, close to the elbow. There is no sign that this had healed. This is consistent with the arm being raised, elbow bent above the head, to protect it from a blow or strike from a weapon. These indications of actual fighting suggest that Racton Man's dagger was not just for display. His social position may have depended on him demonstrating his prowess in combat.
Although less certain, there is also evidence of a similar blow having struck the lower part of the right shoulder, under the armpit. A sharp force blow to this area of the body would have been consistent with a double strike - one to the head, blocked by the raised right arm, and a second deep into the armpit, presumably to sever the major blood vessels in this area.
"The results are truly fascinating," says Cllr Myles Cullen, Cabinet Member for Commercial Services.
"To think that we can discover such detail about a man who died more than 4,000 years ago, while learning more about the country's history, is just incredible.
"We can't wait to welcome people to the museum to find out more about this project and to see the Racton Man on display. The timing could not be better, now that free admission at the museum has recently been introduced.
"We would like to thank the South Downs National Park who awarded the museum a £1,980 grant towards funding this project. The rest of the project was funded by the council."
The Novium Museum is located in the centre of Chichester, in Tower Street, which is opposite Chichester Cathedral. For further information, please call 01243 775888 or email [email protected]
The museum offers free admission to everyone and is open from Monday to Saturday, 10am -5pm during the winter period.
http://www.chichester.gov.uk/article/25733/Warrior-Chief-with-earliest-bronze-weapon-may-have-died-in-combat
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