The Ridgeway Hill Viking burial pit at Ridgeway Hill near Weymouth, Dorset, is a mass grave containing the remains of 54 skeletons and 51 heads of Scandinavian men who were executed sometime between AD 910 and 1030. These men are believed to have been Vikings, executed by local Anglo-Saxons. The dismembered skeletons were discovered by archaeologists in June 2009, and their identity and approximate ages were later confirmed by forensic analyses.
Although the immediate circumstances of their deaths are unknown, the event occurred during a time of conflict between the native Anglo-Saxons and Viking invaders. It has been suggested that these Vikings were captured during an attempted raid into Anglo-Saxon territory. The grave serves as a poignant reminder of the turbulent history and the violent clashes that characterized this period. The discovery provides valuable insights into the interactions and hostilities between the Anglo-Saxons and Viking invaders, shedding light on the brutal realities of medieval warfare and the fate of those caught in its midst.