The Saxon who lost his head at Stonehenge

BY NIC FLEMING

A MAN who was beheaded and buried at Stonehenge could ____________ one of the first victims of capital punishment in Britain.

Archaeologists were surprised when they dated the bones to around 650 AD as judicial executions were previously thought ____________ in the 8th century.

The skeleton is now the subject of an archaeological murder mystery with some experts believing the man may ____________ a political or religious figurehead or even a king.

Historians say it proves the Wiltshire stone circle was in use 1,350 years ago, 2,000 years after it was previously thought ____________.

English Heritage, who used carbon dating techniques on the bones, could only ___________ the date of the killing in Roman or Saxon times. But now they know it took place some time between 650 and 690 AD.

At that time Britain was divided into kingdoms which were frequently at war with each other. Christianity was being adopted by the Wessex kings as the official religion.

During early Saxon times, English was becoming established as the main language, and the rudiments of modern law and land ownership were taking shape. The Saxon period was from around 500 AD to 1066.

The skeleton was dug up in 1923 but then went missing until archaeologist Mike Pitts discovered it by chance last year in storage at the Natural History Museum in London. Mr. Pitts, author of Hengeworld, said yesterday: "Executions usually took place in prominent sites such as ridges or hilltops, and frequently at the boundaries between communities. Archaeological evidence suggests they were far more common in the 8th and 9th centuries.

"This man's community obviously felt the need not only __________ him with execution but also __________ his body to a place that was considered __________ scary and unpleasant."

Mr. Pitts added the discovery of the body suggested later generations reinvented Stonehenge and its significance for their own purposes. He said: "We had thought that the last people to use Stonehenge left 4,000 years ago when it was built. This new find is very exciting as it suggests that each generation reinvented Stonehenge and its signifi­cance to them."

Human remains expert Jacqueline McKinley, of Wessex Archaeology, conduct­ed a detailed examination of the remains of the 5ft 5in man who was believed __________ between 30 and 40 when he died.

The victim was probably kneeling with a straight back when he was beheaded from behind with a single blow from a sharp sword.

8. Before reading the article about the information era consider the following quotations about the press and answer the questions:

· What do the two presidents think of it?

· Why were newspapers so important then?

· Has the role of the mass media changed since the eighteenth century? In what way?

‘Were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers, or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter.’–Thomas Jefferson, 1787.

‘For my part I entertain a high idea of the utility of periodical publications; insomuch as I could heartily desire, copies of... magazines, as well as common Gazettes, might be spread through every city, town, and village in the United States. I consider such vehicles of knowledge more happily calculated than any other to preserve the liberty, stimulate the industry, and ameliorate the morals of a free and enlightened people.’ – George Washington, 1788.

9. Read the text about the Internet. What is the author’s attitude towards it? Name the advantages and disadvantages of the Net mentioned in the text. Do you share the author’s viewpoint?

Exclusion and communication

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