Archaeologists Uncover Horrific Prehistoric Massacre in Britain

In the 1970s, archaeologists discovered prehistoric human remains in a deep underground cave in Somerset, England. However, the truth of what really happened to those men, women, and children, has only recently come to light.

Archaeologists in the UK and Europe have analyzed the Early Bronze Age remains of 37 people in England, finding evidence of a horrific massacre. Their findings, detailed in a study published today in the journal Ageilluminates the largest known example of interpersonal violence in early British history and challenges the view that Early Bronze Age Britain (circa 2500 to 1200 BCE) was a period of relative peace.

The remains in question include more than 3,000 human bones and bone fragments previously found in a 49.2-foot-deep (15-meter-deep) shaft at an archaeological site in Somerset known as Charterhouse Warren. These people were men, women, and children—probably representative of the community, according to the researchers—who were killed, killed, and possibly killed by humans before being thrown into the pit.

Led by Rick Schulting of the University of Oxford, the archaeologists found evidence of trauma to the skull, fractures made at the time of death, and cut marks that may have been caused by decomposition. These last two findings suggest a specific motive behind the killing and cannibalism, according to the study.

In relation to cannibalism, researchers rule out funeral rituals and famine as possible motives. The deaths of these people were clearly violent, there is no evidence of fighting (so they were probably surprised), and the presence of cattle bones in one pit shows that food was not in short supply at the time. So what could have driven this shocking act of prehistoric violence?

“It is possible that cannibalism was a way of ‘othering’ the deceased,” the researchers wrote in the paper Age statement was emailed to Gizmodo. “By eating their flesh and mixing the bones with the remains of animals, the killers likened their enemies to animals, thus dehumanizing them.”

This definition, however, does not specify the motivation that causes violence in general. At the time, Britain did not have a problem with climate change or other events that could cause competition for resources, according to the study. There is also no known genetic evidence of tribal conflict.

As a result, researchers suggest that conflict may be caused by social factors and ultimately result in crimes such as theft and/or insults. Perhaps the disease—revealed in the infected teeth of two children in a previous study—may also be exacerbating pre-existing tensions.

“Ultimately, the findings paint a picture of prehistoric people who saw that slow and vicious cycles of revenge could lead to acts of disproportionate violence. This situation, unfortunately, is common in recent times,” they wrote.

Although direct evidence of violent conflict in Britain between 2500 and 1500 BCE is scarce, the location of this massacre undoubtedly challenges the suggestion that the period may have been relatively peaceful.

“It paints a much darker picture of the era than many would expect,” Schulting explained. “Charterhouse Warren is one of those rare archaeological sites that challenges the way we think about the past,” he added. “The fact that it is unlikely to be a single event makes it even more important that its story be told,” he added.

“For now, our investigation has raised many questions as they have been answered. “Work is ongoing to shed more light on this decidedly dark episode in Britain’s early history,” the researchers concluded in the study.

While there is nothing we can do about vague prehistoric atrocities, perhaps we can learn not only from history but from past history to stop our cycles of revenge from spiraling out of control beyond what we already have.