An archaeological study carried out on human remains found in a burned 5,700-year-old house sheds light on a mysterious tragedy that occurred in what is now Ukraine. According to a recent study, published in the journal PLOS Onepartially burned human bones from this period show that a group of Stone Age men probably perished in a house fire. However, the reasons for the violent head injuries suffered by two adults, and the fact that another person died more than a century after the others, remain mysteries.
A deadly fire and mysteries to be solved
In 2004, near kyiv, archaeologists exhumed human bones from a prehistoric house located at the Kosenivka site. This place, a remnant of a Stone Age civilization, was part of the colonies of the Cucuteni-Trypillia (CTS), who occupied the regions of present-day Ukraine, Moldova and Romania between 4800 and 3000 BC The CTS were known for their houses and public buildings, often deliberately burned down when abandoned.
The discovery of human bones in a burned house in Kosenivka amazed archaeologists, who carried out an in-depth study to understand the events. According to Katharina Fuchs, an anthropologist at the University of Kiel, and her colleagues, “ It is unclear whether the fire was directly related to a murder, such as an act of violence before burning the house down, but this remains speculation ».
Research determined that seven individuals, probably from the same family, had lost their lives in this fire. Five of them were found inside the house, completely burned, while two others, not charred, were outside. Among the victims found inside, two adults had serious head injuries, raising questions about the cause of their deaths. Could this trauma be linked to an act of violence before or during the fire? Researchers don't yet have a definitive answer.
Modern analyzes to understand an ancient tragedy
The researchers used radiocarbon dating to determine that six of the seven people, likely from one family, died between 3690 and 3620 BC, while the seventh, an unburned adult, died ca. 130 years after the fire, after the house was abandoned. By examining the fractures and discoloration of the bones, researchers concluded that they had been burned while still fresh.
Based on this information and the dates of the deaths, the team suggests that three people likely died inside the burning house, while the others died from smoke inhalation or poisoning. carbon monoxide outside. But this analysis could not explain the head injuries observed in two adults.
Rituals or intergroup conflicts?
It is clear that the house and bodies were covered with dirt and debris within months of the fire, and that part of another person's skull was placed on top of it a century later, which could suggest a funeral ritual or a complex tradition.
Researchers believe that it could be a funerary tradition involving several stages, although they are not certain about the practices of the time. Fuchs explains that there are still many unknowns, including how these people treated their deceased.
Jordan Karsten, an archaeologist at the University of Wisconsin who was not involved in the study, suggests the findings could indicate that a raid took place, during which the house was burned. He believes that, rather than deliberately destroying their own homes, CTS members could have been attacked by neighbors from nearby regions, particularly areas populated by groups of nomadic pastoralists. Separately, a strange pile of Stone Age skulls found in Italy has baffled archaeologists.
