The future French Revolutionary Jean-Paul Marat left home at the age of 16 to train in medicine and would eventually settle in Newcastle upon Tyne where he gained a reputation as being a highly efficient doctor who also had an interest in political writings. He moved back France 6 years later and his medical skills earned him the patronage of the aristocracy. He used his new found wealth to found a scientific laboratory where he began studies on fire, heat, light and electricity - he was even visited by Benjamin Franklin. Despite his new status and success, he began so spend a lot of time discussing and writing about social injustice.

As Louis XVI struggled to maintain power in the late 1780s by assembling the Estates-General for the first time in 175 years, Marat decided to end his research and medical profession to focus entirely on his passion for politics. He began writing on the topics of social, economic and religious reforms - this manifested itself in numerous vicious attacks on those he proclaimed were enemies of the people. His newspaper called for extreme violence against the upper class and government provoking statements such as five or six hundred heads cut off would have assured your repose, freedom and happiness. After reaching fame, He was elected to the National Convention in 1792 where he actively supported the death of the deposed King in a trial.

On Ridgeway Hill in the County of Dorset, a mass burial was found with the remains of 54 males. These individuals had all been executed in a gruesome manner with their decapitated heads dumped together in a large pit. Interestingly enough all of the sharp blade wounds had been struck from the front, meaning these individuals had faced their enemy. Radiocarbon dating showed the bodies were from 890-1030 AD. Strontium isotopes found in the bones show these individuals were originally from Scandinavia.

The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, which had been written around 890 AD, provides a year-by-year account of all the major happenings in Anlgo Saxon England. Aethelred the Unready had been king from 978-1016 AD - it is quite possible these bodies died during his reign. Initially the king had paid Viking raiders off with over 10,000 pounds to stop raiding their lands. Later they began hiring Norse mercenaries to fight off the invading Vikings - however these mercenaries would switch sides frequently and proved too risky.

An ancient cemetery was discovered in Hassleben Thuringia which remained the richest ancient grave found in Germany for almost a hundred years. Not only was the oldest written Germanic word ever discovered etched onto a comb, but hundreds of Roman coins, ceramic fragments and Roman-style brooches were also discovered. This is no accident as much of our knowledge regarding Thuringia and broader Germania comes from the Roman historian Tacitus. The Elbe Germanic tribes who moved into this region were allies of the Romans who were trading partners, a buffer to the neighbouring Chatti - sworn enemies of Rome, as well as specialised in metalworking of iron and precious metals.

Here you can see the richly outfitted grave of the Princess of Hassleben which demonstrates the influential noble class who had a very close relationship with the Romans. She was a young woman buried with a choker, golden fibulae, a ring, a collier of roman glass beads, roman coins, pottery plates and vessels. In her mouth was a Roman gold coin - known as Charons obol - which would provide payment to Charon the ferryman to allow her soul to reach the world of the dead. Next to her remains lay the skeleton of a small dog - possibly her personal pet.