A collection of prehistoric human remains has revealed gruesome insights into a brutal massacre that took place more than 4,000 years ago.
For a study published in the journal Antiquity, researchers analyzed more than 3,000 bones and bone fragments attributed to dozens of individuals from the Early Bronze Age site of Charterhouse Warren in southwest England.
The little-known collection of skeletal remains -- which is "unique" in Britain -- revealed that the individuals were killed, dismembered and probably partly consumed, before the remains were thrown into an almost 50-foot-deep natural shaft. The authors of the study believe this all took place during a single event occurring sometime between 2210 B.C. and 2010 B.C.
The level and scale of violence that occurred during this event is "unprecedented" in British prehistory, as far as we know, the authors said.
Direct physical evidence for violence in Early Bronze Age Britain (approximately 2500 B.C. to 1500 B.C.) is generally very limited, despite the fact that hundreds of skeletons have been found from this period.
"There are a few skeletons with injuries, but overall the dominant impression has been of a relatively peaceful time," study lead author Rick Schulting with the University of Oxford told Newsweek.
He added: "In fact, we have more evidence for conflict from the Early Neolithic (about 1,500 years before Charterhouse) and the Middle and Late Bronze Age, when the first bespoke weapons -- swords -- appear, along with hilltop fortifications towards the end of the period. But sometimes a single site can radically change our perceptions, and I think that Charterhouse has the potential to do just that."
"Charterhouse Warren is one of those rare archaeological sites that challenges the way we think about the past," Schulting said in a press release. "It is a stark reminder that people in prehistory could match more recent atrocities and shines a light on a dark side of human behavior."
The Charterhouse Warren bone assemblage was discovered accidentally in the 1970s by a group of cavers who were looking for a new cave system in the area. But very little was known about the bones prior to the latest study.
"Prior to our work, the only substantial paper published on the site in 1988 dealt mainly with the cave system," Schulting told Newsweek. "The fact that human bones were found was mentioned, and it was noted that some had cut marks, but the number of bones was completely underestimated (200 versus more than 3,000) as was the extent of the evidence for 'processing' the bodies. This is one of the reasons that the site has remained poorly known."
In an attempt to shed light on what happened to these individuals, the research team analyzed the remains, identifying numerous cut marks, perimortem (i.e. made around the time of death) fractures and blunt force injuries to the skull. The team's findings indicate that the victims were killed at close quarters with blunt instruments, before being systematically dismembered, butchered, and possibly partly consumed.
"The main thing that we have shown is the size of the assemblage and the extent of the evidence for violence," Schulting said. "We identified many blunt force injuries to the head, suggesting that all the individuals were killed. And even though cut marks had been previously noted, there was no indication of the systematic way in which the victims were then dismembered, the flesh removed, and the bones smashed open."
The researchers were also able to show that at least 37 individuals are represented in the bone assemblage, including men, women and children -- indicative of a community.
"It is likely that there were even more than this, since we can only calculate a minimum number," Schulting added.
Given that there was no indication of a fight, the likelihood is that the victims were taken by surprise when they were attacked by enemies.
Numerous cattle bones are mixed in with the human remains at the site, suggesting that the attackers did not need to eat their victims due to a lack of food. Instead, the authors propose that the cannibalism may have served the purpose of dehumanizing them.
The researchers then examined the question of what could have motivated such acts of extreme violence. Climate change and resource competition do not appear to be factors that exacerbated conflict in Early Bronze Age Britain. There is also no evidence of inter-ethnic conflict. This indicates that social factors may have been the key drivers. In this period, potential triggers for violence may have included theft, perceived slights and insults, and charges of sorcery.
The extreme violence that once took place at the site is unlikely to have been an isolated incident, according to Schulting. Such an event would probably have had repercussions as the relatives and friends of the victims sought revenge.
"Though not typically traceable in the archaeological record, cycles of tit-for-tat revenge can escalate dramatically, and may be out of all proportion to the original offence," the authors wrote in the study.
"At this stage, our investigation has raised as many questions as it has answered. Work is ongoing to shed more light on this decidedly dark episode in British prehistory," Schulting said.