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Chronology efforts led by researchers at Natural History Museum, London, and Historic England have produced 30 new dates for human remains pulled from the River Thames, establishing a chronological framework that spans nearly 6,000 years.

Hundreds of human skeletal remains have been recovered from London's lower Thames over the past two centuries. They have long challenged scholars due to the difficulty of determining a precise chronology.

Early finds from nineteenth- and early twentieth-century dredging and construction projects were initially associated with prehistoric contexts, although later research questioned these early interpretations. The new study aims to refine this timeline and assess whether the remains were deposited as part of ritual practices.

In the study, "Human remains from the River Thames: new dating evidence," in Antiquity, the research team reports that roughly half of 61 dated individuals derive from the Bronze and Iron Ages and suggest a connection to watery deposition practices observed in northwest Europe during later prehistory.

A focused program at the Natural History Museum, London, generated 30 new radiocarbon dates combined with previously available and ad hoc dates to form a dataset of 61 individuals—over three times more than earlier studies.

Rigorous sample selection captured spatial variation and osteological differences while re-dating older samples verified consistency. Additional processing for samples treated with conservation agents and improved collagen extraction methods contributed to a nearly continuous chronological framework spanning 6,000 years.

By incorporating newly generated and previously published radiocarbon dates, a comprehensive dataset of 61 individuals was reached. The continuous temporal span extended from approximately 4000 BC to 1800 AD, with a small gap during the early medieval period (300–600 AD).

Data indicate a predominance of Bronze Age (16) and Iron Age (15) individuals. The Late Bronze Age (1200–800 BC) is particularly well represented. Iron Age remains show a decreasing trend in frequency through the period, with the Early Iron Age (800–400 BC) best represented. Neolithic, Roman, medieval, and post-medieval remains were also identified, but in smaller numbers.

Spatial analysis divided the lower Thames into roughly 5-km zones. Findings show Bronze and Iron Age remains are concentrated in upstream zones, with post-medieval individuals located in central London and the Isle of Dogs downstream. Results support investigating later prehistoric depositional practices associated with watery environments across northwest Europe.

The study provides an expanded chronological framework for human remains from the River Thames and supports future research into taphonomy, demography, skeletal trauma, and isotopic analyses of these human remains. Investigations into depositional scenarios may further clarify the role of watery places in later prehistoric ritual practices.

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