Researchers have discovered prehistoric bones with strange markings. These 4,000-year-old remains indicate violent behavior and possibly cannibalism.
The brutal treatment of the bodies of at least 37 people from the Bronze Age is likely to rewrite the history of prehistoric Britain. The evidence tells about the cannibalism of the people of that time.
More than 4,000 years ago, nearly 40 people died in a very violent way in what is now England. According to the latest scientific news, modern analysis of their bones shows that these people were victims of flaying, tongue cutting, beheading, flesh cutting, evisceration and even cannibalism.
Oxford University archaeologist Rick Schulting said in a statement:
This find presents a much darker picture of the prehistoric period; What many did not expect. It’s also a grim reminder that Bronze Age humans could be as ruthless as the recent catastrophes.
Discovery of 4,000-year-old bones with strange incisions
Schulting and colleagues published a detailed study of the skeletons in the journal Antiquity on Monday (Dec. 16). They noted that in the 1970s, archaeologists discovered more than 3,000 bone fragments in a natural limestone pit 20 meters deep. The natural well was located at the ancient site of Charterhouse Warren in the county of Somerset in southwest England. At least 37 people, including babies and adults, were found in this well. Radiocarbon dating shows that these people died at least four thousand years ago, during the early Bronze Age (2200-2000 BC).
By carefully examining the fragmented bones, the research team determined that at least 30% of the skulls were fractured at the time of death. This suggests that many or possibly all individuals have experienced violent deaths. What happened after death was even more terrifying.
In addition, the researchers found that almost 20% of the bones had cut marks. Most of these cuts were made with stone tools. The locations of these incisions indicate the type of violence the bodies had suffered. Incisions on the frontal bone of one skull indicate skinning, long incisions on the lower jaw of another indicate the cutting of the tongue, and incisions on the ribs may indicate the evacuation of internal organs.
Scientific findings about cannibalism in the Bronze Age
At least six had incisions on the second vertebra of their necks, indicating they had been beheaded. Several of the small bones in the limbs had fractures that seemed consistent with human chewing and suggested possible cannibalism.
In their study, the researchers note that the high number of violent deaths and extensive processing of corpses is unusual for Britain in the prehistoric and Bronze Age. These practices are clearly not associated with any known burial ritual.
The researchers wrote:
The presence of at least 37 people indicates the massacre of a significant part of a society. In this case, the violence may have continued after death. Probably the goal was to not only destroy another group, but to completely alienate them in the process.
But the reason for this brutal massacre and cannibalism is not clear. The scientists speculated that the intensity of the violence “may have reflected retaliatory actions in response to a previous violent event or violation of a serious social taboo.” In this way, they concluded that the violence was not meaningless, but a strong political act.
Anna Asterholtz, a bioarchaeologist at Mississippi State University who was not involved in the study, told Live Science.
The assemblage from Charterhouse Warren certainly shows signs of perimortem (at the time of death) injuries, along with many signs of tools associated with the processing of the object.
Possible reasons for this violent behavior
Aster Holtz continued:
Such violence often has a social function. Violent acts, when performed in front of the audience, are important for the formation of group identity and negotiation in social relations.
Of course, what violence tells us about group identity can only be understood through archaeological evidence.
The authors of the study noted that one of the clues related to the massacre was the identification of Yersinia pestis, the bacterium that causes the plague, in the teeth of two children found at Charterhouse Warren. The fact that at least two people were suffering from the plague at the time of their death suggests that the disease may have heightened the sense of fear in the region.
Research on early Bronze Age human remains is not yet complete. In the conclusion of their paper, the researchers wrote:
Research work is ongoing to shed more light on this dark period in British pre-history.
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