The Archer's Compagnion

Another grave was found close to the Archer's. Here archaeologists found the skeleton of a man aged between 25 and 30 dating from same time as the Archer.
What the archaeologists did not expect was, as the skeleton was being cleaned in the laboratory, the discovery of a pair of gold hair tresses inside the man's jaw. The new hair tresses were in the same style as the Archer's.
Only half a dozen finds of these earrings have ever been made before in Britain, so it was remarkable that the graves of two men with these symbols of power were found side by side.
An analysis of the bones later showed that he and the Archer were related as they both had the same unusual bone structure in their feet – the heel bone had a joint with one of the upper tarsal bones in the foot. This proves they were related, and it is likely they were father and son, though this is not certain.
Analysis of the oxygen content of the enamel in their teeth showed that while the Archer had grown up in the Alps region, his relative grew up in southern England. He may have spent his late teens in the Midlands or north-east Scotland.


Source: Wessex ArchaeologyNext: The Bronze Age