CASE FILE: Murder at Stonehenge
THE SCENE: Southern England
LEAD DETECTIVE: Archeologist Mike Pitts
A mysterious skeleton discovered on the grounds of Stonehenge. Where did he come from? How long had he been there? Why was his head severed from his body? In Murder at Stonehenge, archeologists and forensics experts dig up ominous information about the strange ancient ruins and what role they might have played in early English culture. Scientists studying the long misplaced bones discovered at Stonehenge in 1923 determine that the man had died not from natural cause – as was previously believed – but from intentional beheading. Bone studies, carbon dating, facial reconstruction, analyses of the wound’s angle and the skeleton’s damaged vertebrae, a study of Roman-style executions, and comparisons with other human remains ensue as the researchers attempt to find out who the man was and why and when he was murdered. Was he a pagan in a newly Christian world? A cattle thief? A ritual sacrifice? The investigation takes another bizarre turn as scientists note that the smooth, clean cut could only have been made by a sharp steel blade. Murder at Stonehenge travels 2,000 years back in time to illuminate the beginnings of modern Britain.
