Cannibalism in Britain? How early Bronze Age bones reveal a dark history | Historical news

Archaeologists have discovered evidence of the bloodiest massacre known in British prehistory: an episode in rural Somerset, England, that occurred around 4,000 years ago.

The site, first discovered about 50 years ago, contains human remains marked by cut marks, broken skulls and human chew marks, suggesting both violent mass murder and cannibalism, or anthropophagy (cannibalism specific to humans).

Here’s what you need to know about the study of these remains and how it is reshaping our perception of prehistory:

What was discovered?

In a recent study, British scientists examined around 3,000 fragmented bones originally discovered by cavers in the 1970s in Charterhouse Warren, a rural area of ​​Somerset.

These remains, largely neglected for decades, are believed to belong to at least 37 individuals – men, women and children – who were killed and massacred between 2,200 and 2,000 BC.

This discovery constitutes the largest known case of interpersonal violence in prehistoric Britain. Nearly half of the remains belonged to teenagers and children, indicating that an entire community may have been wiped out in a single devastating event.

The bones, which appear to have been thrown into a 15-meter-deep limestone pit, show numerous cut marks. There are also broken skulls, and some bones show signs of defleshing, disarticulation and marrow extraction.

Some bones also show human chewing marks, indicating cannibalism.

Why were these people killed?

Violence is unlikely to be motivated by resource scarcity or hunger.

Cattle bones were found alongside human remains, indicating a high availability of food. There is no evidence of competition for resources or climate change in Britain at this time. There is also no genetic evidence of different groups living together at the site, suggesting that ethnic or interpersonal tensions may have been at the center of the conflict. Blunt trauma to the skulls indicates the victims were deliberately killed, and the lack of defensive injuries suggests they were taken by surprise.

What does this tell us about human violence?

The study’s lead author, Rick J Schulting, says such archaeological studies can offer a more complete picture of prehistoric periods.

“It contributes to our understanding of past and present human violence and the conditions in which it occurs,” he told Al Jazeera.

The violence may have been motivated by thefts – particularly of livestock – or by social conflicts, such as perceived insults, which escalated into deadly acts of revenge.

“The extreme violence seen here is unlikely to be an isolated incident,” Schulting says. “There would have been repercussions as relatives and friends of the victims sought revenge, which could have led to cycles of violence in the area. »

This suggests that cannibalism appears to have been a deliberate act of dehumanizing the victims rather than a means of subsistence.

How does this impact our view of early Bronze Age society?

The study paints a more complex and bleaker picture of early Bronze Age Britain, calling into question its reputation as a relatively peaceful period.

“Sometimes just one site can change our perception,” says Schulting.

Spanning approximately 2,500 to 800 BC, the Bronze Age was defined by advances in metallurgy, agriculture, and trade.

Only a few skeletons with apparent injuries have been discovered in the UK during the Early Bronze Age, suggesting minimal violence. However, during the Neolithic period, about 1,500 years before Chartreuse, and between the mid-to-late Bronze Age, swords and hilltop fortifications began to appear, Schulting notes.

The study reveals the early Bronze Age community’s capacity to experience large-scale violence, likely driven by social conflict or epidemics. Evidence of plague infection in the teeth of two children suggests that the disease may have increased tensions.

Was cannibalism practiced by other cultures in the past?

Archaeological evidence and studies show that, throughout history, cannibalism occurred sporadically in particular regions and was not a widespread norm.

For example, a study of European prehistoric sites identified cannibalism in less than 10% of known assemblages, often associated with rituals or specific survival events rather than daily life. Assemblages in archeology refer to collections of objects, bones, or other materials found together in a specific context, such as a burial site or settlement.

In prehistoric Europe, sites such as Gough’s Cave in Cheddar Gorge, located 2 miles from Charterhouse Warren, provide evidence of cannibalism as part of funerary rituals. This involved intentional modifications of human remains, such as the creation of “skull cups” from skulls, probably for ceremonial purposes, which highlights a symbolic rather than violent context.

Beyond Europe, ritual or survival cannibalism has been reported among ancient Mesoamerican civilizations such as the Aztecs, who practiced human sacrifice and subsequent consumption as part of religious rituals, and among indigenous groups such as the Aztecs. Fore people of Papua New Guinea, who engaged in mortuary cannibalism. (consume human remains in a morgue) to honor the deceased.

The symbolic nature of these practices has been inferred from ethnographic accounts and archaeological finds showing structured and ceremonial treatment of human remains.