Journal article
Summary justice or the King’s will? the first case of formal facial mutilation from Anglo-Saxon England
- Abstract:
- This paper presents the first archaeological evidence for specific facial mutilation from Anglo-Saxon England, involving removal of the nose, upper lip and possible scalping, inflicted upon a young adult female of about 18 years of age. The injuries are consistent with documented punishments for female thieving slaves and adulteresses. Although mutilations of this kind do not appear in the written record until the tenth century AD, the instance reported here suggests that the practice emerged a century earlier. This case is examined against a wider consideration of the motivations and meaning of facial disfigurement in past societies.
- Publication status:
- Published
- Peer review status:
- Peer reviewed
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- Files:
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(Preview, Accepted manuscript, pdf, 2.6MB, Terms of use)
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- Publisher copy:
- 10.15184/aqy.2020.176
Authors
- Publisher:
- Cambridge University Press
- Journal:
- Antiquity More from this journal
- Volume:
- 94
- Issue:
- 377
- Pages:
- 1263-1277
- Publication date:
- 2020-10-01
- Acceptance date:
- 2020-04-01
- DOI:
- EISSN:
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1745-1744
- ISSN:
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0003-598X
- Language:
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English
- Keywords:
- Pubs id:
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1097940
- Local pid:
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pubs:1097940
- Deposit date:
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2020-04-01
- ARK identifier:
Terms of use
- Copyright holder:
- Antiquity Publications Ltd
- Copyright date:
- 2020
- Rights statement:
- © Antiquity Publications Ltd, 2020
- Notes:
- This is the accepted manuscript version of the article. The final version is available from Cambridge University Press at: https://doi.org/10.15184/aqy.2020.176
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