Possible First and Only Evidence of Crucifixion in Britain Found by Archaeologists

The skeleton discovered by archaeologists reportedly had a nail driven into its heel, with several other nails found inside the grave where the human remains were interred.

An archaeological discovery that may be the first evidence of crucifixion recorded in Britain has been made at a dig site in a village in eastern England, Newsweek reports citing British Archaeology.

According to the magazine, excavation in Fenstanton, Cambridgeshire by a team from Albion Archaeology yielded what appears to be the remnants of an ancient Roman settlement.

In one of the graves found at the site, a skeleton of a man aged between 25 and 35 years old was discovered, surrounded by “around a dozen” nails, and a subsequent study of these remains at the lab revealed that another nail was driven through the man’s heel.

This finding led the archaeologists to suggest that the man was likely crucified, which, if true, would make it the only known crucifixion “from the British Isles and the fourth reported worldwide.”

The team did note that there could be other explanations for what they found, such as the nail being lodged in the man’s remains during burial or perhaps during the construction of the coffin.