Charterhouse Warren, England – New findings from a dig site in southwest England suggest that a violent episode around 4,000 years ago during the Early Bronze Age may have led to mass cannibalism. Researchers at University of Oxford uncovered over 3,000 human bones in a 50-foot pit approximately 20 miles south of Bristol, revealing gruesome evidence of systematic violence and possible ritualistic eating of the victims.
The bones unearthed, which bore an excessive number of cutmarks, were first discovered in the 1970s by cavers exploring the region. These marks surpassed what is typically seen in animal butchery, indicating a darker human involvement. Rick Schulting, lead author of the study and a professor of scientific and prehistoric archaeology, described the find as “exceptional” in both the scale and intensity of the violent acts inflicted on these bodies.
According to the research, which was recently published in the journal Antiquity, victims were killed with blows to the head before being dismembered and defleshed, with their bones aggressively smashed. This level of violence suggests the act was not only methodical but perhaps ritualistic, occurring most likely in a single catastrophic event between 2210 B.C. and 2010 B.C.
While extreme violence has been documented in other periods of human history, nothing comparable has been recorded in Early Bronze Age Britain on this scale. Schulting noted that such extreme acts of violence were likely not isolated incidents. The repercussions of this event probably triggered ongoing cycles of retaliatory violence among the Early Bronze Age communities.
Deciphering the precise motive behind this brutal event is challenging. Schulting and his team speculate that the incident could have escalated from minor conflicts, such as theft or accusations of witchcraft, which spiraled out of control. This indicates a possible breakdown in the social order of the time, leading to an extreme manifestation of conflict.
The manner in which the bodies were treated post-mortem suggests an effort to dehumanize the victims. The extensive effort taken to dismember the bodies indicates the involvement of multiple aggressors, pointing to a collective action rather than the work of a few individuals. This collective dimension suggests social or cultural motives behind the gruesome act, possibly intended to establish dominance or control through terror and spectacle.
Interestingly, the human bones were found intermixed with faunal remains, which also showed signs of butchery. However, the researchers do not believe the cannibalism was driven by starvation, as the presence of animal bones implies that food sources were available.
This discovery not only highlights the capacities for violence in early human societies but also opens up new avenues for understanding the social dynamics, stressors, and conflicts that might have influenced such extreme behaviors. Further examination of the remains and the site will continue to offer insights into this dark episode of human prehistory, providing a window into the complexities of early societal structures and inter-community relations.