In , construction workers digging in advance of the Chapelfield shopping center development in Norwich, UK, uncovered a medieval well containing the remains of at least 17 people, most of whom were children.
Scientists from the Natural History Museum, University College London, Mainz and Cambridge Universities, and the Francis Crick Institute, conducted analysis on the remains of six of these individuals, uncovering new genetic, medical, and historic information. The whole genome analyses reveal the individuals appear to be a group of Ashkenazi Jews who fell victim to antisemitic violence during the 12th century.
The remains of at least six adults and 11 children were recovered from the unusual burial location. Unlike other mass burial sites, where bodies are typically laid in an organized fashion, skeletons from the well were oddly positioned and mixed, likely caused by being deposited head-first shortly after death.
These findings hint at mass fatalities such as famine, disease, or murder. Radiocarbon dating of the remains placed their deaths around the late 12th to early 13th century β a period which includes some well-documented outbreaks of antisemitic violence in England β leading researchers to consider foul play. Accordingly on 6th February [in AD] all the Jews who were found in their own houses at Norwich were butchered; some had taken refuge in the castle.
To piece together the individual's past life and what led to their death, the team studied these remains at the time of their excavation, and with developments in DNA sequencing technology, were able to sequence whole genomes from six of these individuals.
