When the skeletons of six adults and 11 children were found at the bottom of a Medieval well in Norwich in 2004, they were thought perhaps to be the victims of plague or famine or civil unrest. Now scientific advances in DNA analysis have made it possible to not only age the victims, but identify their Jewish origin and - in combination with historical sources - the precise day they died.

In this episode of Gone Medieval, Matt Lewis unravels the mystery of the bodies in the well with Dr. Selina Brace, an ancient DNA specialist at the Natural History Museum.

The Senior Producer on this episode was Elena Guthrie. It was edited and produced by Rob Weinberg.

For more Gone Medieval content, subscribe to our Medieval Monday newsletter here.

If you'd like to learn even more, we have hundreds of history documentaries, ad free podcasts and audiobooks at History Hit - subscribe today! To download, go to Android or Apple store.

DNA and Jewish Persecution in Medieval Britain 22:51 Share

Gone Medieval

Shownotes Transcript

DNA and Jewish Persecution in Medieval Britain