I am probably one of the "so-called experts" referred to in Mr Barnes' letter about our recent discovery of Roman burials (Letters, March 1), so I feel I should reply.

If one is to be criticised for coming up with a bizarre explanation for the decapitation of the Roman skeletons, recently excavated on the Mount, I fear Mr Barnes' is more bizarre than most.

The British King Lucius, to whom he refers who supposedly declared the country Christian, is a mythical not an historical figure.

The burials are highly unlikely to be of Christians because there is very little evidence of Christianity in Roman York or Britain as a whole before the fourth century AD - at least 100 years later than the burials in question.

Having said this we do welcome comment on our discoveries.

But let me clarify that the skeletons were probably decapitated after death and the victims not executed in the traditional way. The job was done carefully, if not surgically.

If we ever arrive at an explanation it may be bizarre to our eyes, but researching the strange nature of past civilisations is what makes archaeology so very fascinating.

Dr Patrick Ottaway,

Head of fieldwork,

York Archaeological Trust,

Ogleforth,

York.

Updated: 09:39 Friday, March 04, 2005