Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United Kingdom England London Walbrook Skulls

Walbrook Skulls

It's a mystery why these remains were found with no traces of their bodies in sight.

London, England

Added By
Mictlān Tēcutli
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
Walbrook Stream Skulls and assorted pagan votive figures.   Monsieur Mictlan / Atlas Obscura User
  Collector of Experiences / Atlas Obscura User
  SEANETTA / Atlas Obscura User
  SEANETTA / Atlas Obscura User
Walbrook Stream Skulls.   Monsieur Mictlan / Atlas Obscura User
Walbrook Stream Skulls.   Monsieur Mictlan / Atlas Obscura User
Walbrook Stream Skulls.   Monsieur Mictlan / Atlas Obscura User
Walbrook Stream Skulls.   Monsieur Mictlan / Atlas Obscura User
Walbrook Stream Skulls.   Monsieur Mictlan / Atlas Obscura User
Walbrook Stream Skulls.   Monsieur Mictlan / Atlas Obscura User
  rbenn250 / Atlas Obscura User
The skulls can be seen in the Museum of London.   Maarten Jansen/cc by-sa 4.0
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

From the late 1980s to the present, archeologists excavating an area of London have made a haunting discovery. Over the years they have unearthed 39 skulls, with no trace of any other body parts found nearby.

This, it appeared, was an extreme example of "disarticulated” human remains, meaning the skulls were either deliberately separated from the bodies and buried or discarded separately. The remains were all found to belong to males, between 18 to 35 years old, and dated from when the Romans occupied the island.

The skull fractures, missing teeth, fractured jawbones, and blunt force trauma suggest the men lived violent lives or had been subjected to great violence themselves. The majority of the skulls displayed sharp force trauma close to the neck vertebrae, indicating that decapitation had been the likely cause of death.

Initially, many people thought the skulls may have belonged to unfortunate Roman victims who had been decapitated by Boudicca’s warriors during the Celtic Iceni queen's rebellion. Some scholars even theorized that the victims’ severed heads may have been tossed into the water as part of a ritual offering.

However, all but the infirm and the vulnerable had already evacuated Londinium prior to Boudicca's attack, so it wouldn’t make sense for the male skulls to be casualties of her quest. Moreover, the rebellion took place in 60 to 61, whereas the carbon dating of the remains suggests that the bones had been deposited sometime between 70 to 200, an era that was marked by sustained peace.

Given how unlikely it is for the skulls to be Boudicca’s victims, other theories have since been proposed. One holds that a Roman cemetery was flooded, carrying the skulls downstream and damaging them against rocks in the process. A second theory suggests the heads belonged to men who were involved in an undocumented insurrection against Roman rule who were subsequently killed by “Romanized” Celts. A third theory, which the Museum of London details on its website, proposes that the skulls belonged to former gladiators or criminals, whose remains may have been left in the open gladiator burial pits nearby.

Update as of December 2022: Closed for refurbishments until 2026.

Related Tags

Skulls Museums Museums And Collections Objects Of Intrigue Roman

Know Before You Go

These mysterious skulls can be seen in the Roman Britain/Londinium Gallery of the Museum of London. Due to the sheer number, the skulls are spread across several of the exhibit cases where they are displayed alongside other interesting artifacts from Londinium.

The Museum of London is located next to the Barbican and can be reached by taking the tube to the station of the same name. Entrance to the museum is free, although a donation of £5 is recommended as it helps to keep the institution running. The museum opens from 10 a.m. to 6 .p.m daily and has an on-site shop, a bookshop, and several cafes and restaurants where you can get a coffee or something to eat. Audio guides, guided tours, and talks are available for all of the galleries of the museum.

Community Contributors

Added By

Monsieur Mictlan

Edited By

SEANETTA, Collector of Experiences, rbenn250

  • SEANETTA
  • Collector of Experiences
  • rbenn250

Published

February 11, 2019

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • https://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/discover/gladiator-games-roman-gladiators-londinium
  • https://strangeremains.com/2014/01/16/the-skull-pits-of-londinium/
  • https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2539726/Mystery-39-skulls-London-Wall-solved-25-years-Decapitated-heads-trophies-taken-gladiators-fought-City.html
  • https://www.theguardian.com/science/2014/jan/15/london-skulls-roman-head-hunters
Walbrook Skulls
150 London Wall
London, England, EC2Y 5HN
United Kingdom
51.517618, -0.096778
Visit Website
Get Directions

Nearby Places

The Aurochs Skull

London, England

miles away

The Four Mother Goddesses

London, England

miles away

Viking Tombstone

London, England

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of London

London

England

Places 536
Stories 108

Nearby Places

The Aurochs Skull

London, England

miles away

The Four Mother Goddesses

London, England

miles away

Viking Tombstone

London, England

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of London

London

England

Places 536
Stories 108

Related Places

  • The Lanchester Diploma.

    Durham, England

    The Lanchester Diploma

    The 2,000-year-old pieces of metal are an ancient soldier's military discharge papers.

  • The mosaic votive skull.

    Mexico City, Mexico

    Mosaic Votive Skull

    The turquoise-studded skull of a long-dead Aztec man sits within Mexico City’s Museum of Anthropology.

  • Silchester Eagle

    Reading, England

    Silchester Eagle

    Once believed to be a sacred Roman legionary symbol, this bronze figure inspired the 1954 novel 'The Eagle of the Ninth.'

  • The American Museum of Cutlery.

    Cattaraugus, New York

    American Museum of Cutlery

    This edgy museum will whet your appetite for the industrial history of Western New York.

  • The Commissariat from the vital Rover Brisbane side.

    Brisbane, Australia

    Commissariat Store

    Its most grisly object is a jar full of severed fingers allegedly cut off by prisoners to avoid work.

  • The rat king.

    Altenburg, Germany

    Mauritianum

    This natural history museum houses one of the world's largest rat kings, a terrifying jumble of tangled rodents.

  • The Empress Mother.

    Mexico City, Mexico

    'Asia in Ivory'

    The collection of intricate sculptures includes one carved from a mammoth's tusk

  • The golden brick.

    Mexico City, Mexico

    Moctezuma's Treasure

    It's believed this golden brick is part of the legendary lost Aztec treasure.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.