The world of the Bronze Age could be particularly violent. An observation confirmed by recent research carried out on skeletons found in England during the 1970s. By examining the remains of 37 people closely, scientists noted particularly impressive alterations, suggesting the occurrence of a real massacre there. four thousand years ago. The victims were apparently cannibalized: a relatively rare occurrence in this region of Europe.
A process of dehumanization of the enemy
In an article published on December 16, the BBC details the macabre discoveries of archaeologists working on the subject. The bones were located in a cave system in Somerset, called Charterhouse Warren. First, researchers cataloged the quantity of marks found on the bones, in order to establish the cause of such a large number of deaths. The 37 individuals were apparently attacked by surprise, during an assault of incredible brutality.
The damage observed on the remains allows us to assert that the victims were attacked with rudimentary stone weapons. They were dismembered before being “consumed” during acts of cannibalism. If cases of cannibalism have already been observed in prehistoric and ancient Europe, archaeologists highlight the unique nature of this discovery. These acts of cannibalism would not have been perpetrated to satisfy hunger, but out of revenge. To devour the corpses was to desecrate them. Out of 37 people, half of the victims were children and adolescents, reinforcing the particularly barbaric aspect of this action.
Cannibalism in Europe: lively debate among historians
THE historianshistorians assure him: until then they had never noted such a massacre on British territory during this period. Previously, around ten individuals wearing stigmatastigmata Similar ones have been studied in the region. Various cases of cannibalism have existed throughout European history.
In France, Spain and Germany, episodes of cannibalism took place during prehistory, the oldest dating from a hundred thousand years ago. Other cases are documented in the Middle Ages. One of the most recent took place in France, in the village of Hautefaye, during the year 1870. Against the backdrop of war with Prussia, a young notable was lynched, burned alive, and several witnesses claim that certain parts of his body would have been devoured…
The truth about cannibalism in Neolithic Europe. © Dan Davis History
Cannibalism is not considered to have been a norm in European societies, representing one-off and relatively rare episodes. The Charterhouse Warren mass grave, while singularly appalling, is only an isolated event in the history of thearchipelagoarchipelago.
Archaeologists point out that the Bronze Age should not be considered a particularly violent era. As proof, most communities, bringing together an average of around a hundred people, lived without ramparts or barricades to protect themselves from the outside world. A sometimes detrimental choice, given the clashes between archaic peoples.
