Time Team

[makemesmile]

I'm watching Time Team at the moment (they've just found a couple of decomposed skeletons) and I wondered how recent it would have be to be of interest to the police? Obviously, the ones they've just found are of no interest, they're Anglo-Saxon, but how recent would they have to be to warrent an investigation?

[saxy_jag]

I'm not sure that there's any set period. However all skeletons do have to be reported to the police before they are moved. The police can usually decide fairly quickly how suspicious the circumstances are.

[makemesmile]

Many thanks, sexy_jag : )

[~Wingnut~]

oooOOooooo is that a typo makemesmile or is there something you two haven't told us??? ;o)

lol Sorry couldn't resist!

[makemesmile]

oops - sorry! Definitely a typo ; )

[saxy_jag]

Well, it was only a matter of time, wasn't it. Still, I'm not complaining. ;-)

[saxy_jag]

Just to expand a little, now I've had a think.

In this case the skeletons were clearly not recent and were found on a known archaeological site. The way they were lying, plus whatever was found around them (the context) suggests a legitimate burial.

If the skeleton had been much more recent than they were expecting, or if the site hadn't expected to contain them, then investigations would be stepped up. Obviously, if the condition of the body suggests a two-hundred or two-thousand year old murder, the police aren't going to be able to do very much about it, and they'll usually bow to an archaeologist's expert knowledge.

This link looks quite interesting:

http://www.spoilheap.co.uk/digbone.htm

[vehelpfulguy]

A few months ago they did a time team special which dug up an area of East London bombed during the second world war.

They did not expect to find bones, but when digging found a load of human bones.

There was a thought they may have had to stop the dig if they were recent bones as the police would need to get involved.

As it happens they were bones that had been brought in the with earth when they levelled the site after the war to make it a park.

But they did have to stop the dig while the age and history of the bones were established.

[vehelpfulguy]

Here is the link to the Blitz time team special

http://www.channel4.com/history/microsites/T/t imeteam//2006_blitz.html

[makemesmile]

Thanks saxy_jag - that link is very interesting. Cheers for the research : )

[makemesmile]

And thank you also to vehelpfulguy - I haven't seen that episode