New research has revealed that during the early Bronze Age in England, at least 37 people may have been “systematically dismembered” and eaten in the aftermath of “extremely violent” attacks.
The study, published in the journal ancient, revealed that more than 3,000 bones were excavated from a 50-foot hole at Charterhouse Warren in southwest England.
The bones, which were first discovered in the 1970s by cave explorers, showed an “abundance of cut marks,” prompting researchers to conduct further analysis.
Lead author Rick Schulting, a professor of scientific and prehistoric archeology at the University of Oxford, described the violence inflicted on the bodies as exceptional, with victims being killed with blows to the head, systematically dismembered, skinned, and crushed.
The study suggests that this extreme violence likely occurred in a single event between 2210 BC and 2010 BC, making it a unique example of violence in early Bronze Age Britain.
Antiquity Publications Ltd / Cambridge University Press
This act of violence was likely not isolated and may have sparked a cycle of revenge within and between communities in the Early Bronze Age, according to Mr. Schulting.
The motives behind such attacks are difficult to determine, but the study suggests that tensions may have escalated from accusations of theft and witchcraft, leading to an uncontrollable spiral of violence.
Victims may have been eaten to dehumanize and treat them like animals, involving a large number of aggressors based on the number of victims and the dismemberment process, the study noted.
The bones were found alongside animal fossils, indicating early evidence of slaughter, which the researchers believe was driven by hunger as the attackers had access to plenty of food.
Source: www.nbcnews.com
