Mudlarker who sparked a ‘cold case’ police investigation after finding a human skull in the Thames is stunned to discover it is 5,600-YEARS-OLD and belonged to man, 18, who died in Neolithic period
- Oldest remains dating from 3,600BC were found in the Thames at low tide
- Radiocarbon dating revealed that the man died around 5,600 years ago
- The museum said that the skull would have belonged to an 18-year-old man
- ‘Incredibly rare discovery’ was found by a man who thought he’d become embroiled in a murder investigation
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A mudlarker who sparked a ‘cold case’ murder investigation after uncovering human skull was stunned to find that it dates back 5,600 years to the Neolithic period.
Experts found that the remains were actually from one of the earliest Londoners who lived during 3,600 BC, and are going on display at the Museum of London tomorrow.
The skull fragment was found by a mudlarker, a person who scavenges in river mud for valuables, on the banks of the river Thames at low tide in September.
Although only a tiny fragment was found, analysis revealed that the skull would have belonged to a man over the age of eighteen, who died around 5,600 years ago.
Martin Bushell had been mudlarking on the Thames when he spotted the jagged object sticking out of the mud, which he though was a piece of pottery.
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Human remains from one of the earliest Londoners which date back to 3,600BC are to go on display at the Museum of London tomorrow. The frontal bone of the skull was found by a mudlarker on the banks of the south bank of the Thames at low tide recently
But when he picked it up he saw a brow ridge, located above the eye sockets of all primates, and thought he would become embroiled in a murder investigation.
Mr Bushell initially handed the bone to the Metropolitan Police who commissioned radiocarbon dating, which revealed it was thousands of years old.
DC Matt Morse at the Metropolitan Police, said: ‘Upon reports of a human skull fragment having been found along the Thames foreshore, Detectives from South West CID attended the scene.
‘Not knowing how old this fragment was, a full and thorough investigation took place, including further, detailed searches of the foreshore.
‘The investigation culminated in the radiocarbon dating of the skull fragment, which revealed it to be likely belonging to the Neolithic era.’
After the bone was spotted police investigated the scene for a number of days before handing it to the Museum of London.
The ‘incredibly rare discovery’ will go on display in the ‘London before London’ gallery at the museum in east London.
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Although only a tiny fragment was found, analysis revealed that the skull would have belonged to a man over the age of eighteen, who died around 5,600 years ago. Martin Bushell had been mudlarking in September when he spotted the jagged object sticking out of the mud
When he picked it up he saw a brow ridge, located above the eye sockets of all primates and thought he would become embroiled in a murder investigation. The find was initially handed in to the Metropolitan Police who commissioned the radiocarbon dating of the bone
Dr Rebecca Redfern, Curator of Human Osteology at the Museum of London, pictured here, analysed the skull. She said that it was a significant find as not much is known about these early Britons
WHAT IS MUDLARKING?
19th century mudlark from Henry Mayhew’s book, London Labour & London Poor, 1861
Mudlarking as a profession started in the late 18th and then into the 19th century, and was the name given to people literally scavenging for things on the riverbank and selling them.
These original mudlarks were often children, mostly boys, who would earn a few pennies selling things like coal, nails, rope and bones that they found in the mud at low tide.
They are described as ‘pretty much the poorest level of society, scrabbling around on the foreshore trying desperately to make a living’ by Meriel Jeater, curator in the Department of Archaeological Collections and Archive at the Museum of London.
A mudlark’s income was very meagre, and they were renowned for their tattered clothes and terrible stench. A mudlark was a recognised occupation until the early 20th century.
Dr Michael Lewis, the Deputy Head of Portable Antiquities and Treasure at the British Museum, says that mudlarks’ finds can ‘alter our picture of the past.
The mudlarks have found numerous toys (i.e. miniature plates and urns, knights on horseback and toy soldiers) that have actually changed the way historians view the Medieval period.
Over the last 30 years, the Museum of London has acquired over 90,000 objects recovered from the River Thames foreshore which is the longest archaeological site in Britain, but only a few of these artifacts are on display.
Credit: The Thames Museum
It will sit among other Neolithic finds that have been discovered along the Thames foreshore.
‘It’s an incredibly significant find,’ said Dr Rebecca Redfern, Curator of Human Osteology at the Museum of London who analysed the skull.
‘This is an incredibly significant find and we’re so excited to be able to showcase it at the Museum of London.
‘The Thames is such a rich source of history for us and we are constantly learning from the finds that wash up on the foreshore.’
She said that very little was known about these early Britons but it is believed they were on the cusp of agriculture.
‘They were probably among the first farmers, but it was a semi-nomadic lifestyle. A mixture of foraging, gathering, and some farming.’
The find was initially handed in to the Metropolitan Police who commissioned the radiocarbon dating of the bone, which revealed it was thousands of years old. The fragment will sit among other Neolithic finds that have been discovered along the Thames foreshore
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