1,000-Year-Old Skeleton In Irish Town Of Collooney May Reveal Medieval Murder

A 1,000-Year-Old Skeleton And Its Murky Past Just Showed Up In Collooney Ireland
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The small town of Collooney in Ireland has received a rather unpleasant surprise after a violent storm ripped out a 200-year-old beech tree from the ground.

Buried in the ground, was a 1000-year-old skeleton that could be the remnants of a brutal murder from the medieval period.

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Archeologists working for Sligo-Leitrim Archaeological Services, said they found the top half of the skeleton attached to the tree while the bottom parts of the body were left in the ground.

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According to Irish Archaeology the skeleton most likely belonged to a man between 17 and 25-years-old.

The bones showed signs of injury caused by a sharp object, either a sword or knife, the publication notes.

Using radiocarbon dating, researchers think the person was buried in a grave between 1030 and 1200 AD.

Measuring the ratio of radioactive carbon to normal carbon, allowed scientists to work out the skeleton's age because of Carbon 14's radioactive properties.

Researchers who made the gruesome find are still unsure about whether the individual was murdered or died in battle.

Archaeologist Marion Dowd told Irish Archaeology: No other burials are known from the area but historical records do indicate a possible graveyard and church in the vicinity.