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From: Cambridge University Press > Research Article
Summary justice or the King’s will? The first case of formal facial mutilation from Anglo-Saxon England
1 Institute of Archaeology, University College London, UK
2 Research Laboratory for Archaeology, School of Archaeology, University of Oxford, UK
3 Department of Biological and Geographical Sciences, University of Huddersfield, UK
4 Department of Archaeology, University of York, UK
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 01 October 2020
Intentional facial disfigurement is documented in archaeological contexts around the world. Here, the authors present the first archaeological evidence for intentional facial mutilation from Anglo-Saxon England—comprising the removal of the nose,upper lip and possible scalping—inflicted upon a young adult female. The injuries are consistent with documented punishments for female offenders.Although such mutilations do not appear in the writ-ten record until the tenth century AD, the instance reported here suggests that the practice may have emerged a century earlier. This case is examined in the context of a wider consideration of the motivations and significance of facial disfigurement in past societies. ...
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