Abstract:
In 1977, a remarkable discovery was made at the early Roman fort of Velsen (Netherlands): on the bottom of a well lay the skeleton of a man with traumatic injuries. Who was he, how did he die, and what circumstances led to his deposition? This book revisits this 2,000-year-old ‘cold case’, combining archaeological, historical, and scientific evidence to reconstruct the final moments of the victim and the events surrounding his death.
Renewed research, prompted by preparations for a museum exhibition, brought together a wide range of analytical approaches. Isotope analysis revealed that the man, as well as two others found in a nearby well, were not local to the region. Detailed study of skeletal trauma, supported by 3D imaging and experimental reconstructions, sheds new light on the nature of the injuries and the weapon used, fundamentally altering earlier interpretations. Additional finds from the well, including a military dagger, belt, and decorated sheath, provide further clues to the man’s identity and status.
Set against the historical backdrop of the Frisian rebellion of AD 28, as described by Tacitus, this multi-authored volume presents the results of interdisciplinary research, including pathology, environmental analysis, and site interpretation. Rather than offering a single definitive answer, the book invites readers to evaluate six plausible scenarios, highlighting the tensions between historical sources and archaeological evidence in reconstructing past violence.
Contents
Chapter 1. The Man in the Well of Velsen revisited : introduction
Mark Driessen and Carol van Driel-Murray
Chapter 2. Well 2: structure, contents and human remains
Mark Driessen and Carol van Driel-Murray with contributions by Frans Diederik, Johannes Huijbregts, Michael H. Field and Bert Verleijsdonk, Maarten Sepers and Hayley Mickleburg
Box 1. The excavation
Frans Diederik
Box 2. The botanical remains
Michael H. Field and Bert Verleijsdonk
Box 3. The insect remains
Johannes Huijbregts
Box 4. Burnt Daub
Mark Driessen and Maarten Sepers
Box 5. Decomposition and bone movement in a seated burial
Hayley Mickleburgh
Chapter 3. Artefacts associated with the corpse
Carol van Driel-Murray
Chapter 4. The decorated dagger sheath: a question of dating
Michael Johannes Klein
Chapter 5. The analysis of the man in the well at Velsen
Sarah Inskip
Chapter 6. Joined in Death. The two males from Well S190 in Velsen I
Rachel Schats
Chapter 7. Stranger in a Strange Land? Isotopic Determination of the Birthplace of a Renowned Roman Soldier from Velsen, The Netherlands
Andrea L. Waters-Rist and Jessica L.A. Palmer, with a contribution by Lisette Kootker
Chapter 8. 3D analysis of the pathological punctures of the man in well 2
Maarten Sepers and Mark Driessen
Chapter 9. A Soldier’s Face
Maja d’Hollosy
Chapter 10. Exhibiting the soldier from Velsen in the National Museum of Antiquities, Leiden
Jasper de Bruin
Chapter 11. An ancient cold case in six scenarios
Mark Driessen and Carol van Driel-Murray
