Archaeologists have discovered evidence of the bloodiest known massacre in British prehistory: an incident in rural Somerset, England, that occurred about 4,000 years ago.
The site, first excavated about 50 years ago, contains human remains characterized by lacerations, shattered skulls and human chewing marks, suggesting both violent mass murder and cannibalism or anthropophagy (human-specific cannibalism).
Here’s what you should know about the study of these remains and how it changes our perception of prehistory:
What was discovered?
In one current studyScientists in the United Kingdom examined about 3,000 bone fragments originally unearthed by speleologists in the 1970s in Charterhouse Warren, a rural area in Somerset.
These remains, largely overlooked for decades, are believed to belong to at least 37 people – men, women and children – who lived between 2,200 and 2,000 B.C. were killed and slaughtered.
The discovery marks the largest known case of interpersonal violence in prehistoric Britain. Nearly half of the remains belonged to teenagers and children, suggesting that an entire community may have been wiped out in a single devastating event.
The bones, which were apparently thrown into a 15-meter-deep limestone shaft, show numerous cut marks. There are also shattered skulls, and some of the bones show signs of fleshing, dismemberment, and marrow extraction.
Some bones also show human chewing marks, suggesting cannibalism.
Why were these people killed?
It is unlikely that the violence was caused by resource scarcity or hunger.
In addition to the human remains, cattle bones were also found, indicating sufficient food availability. There is no evidence of competition for resources or climate change in the UK during this period. There is also no genetic evidence of different groups living together at the site, suggesting that ethnic or interpersonal tensions may have been at the heart of the conflict. Blunt force trauma to the skulls suggests the victims were killed intentionally, and the absence of defensive injuries suggests they were surprised.
What does this tell us about human violence?
The study’s lead author, Rick J. Schulting, says such archaeological studies could provide a more complete picture of prehistoric periods.
“It contributes to our understanding of human violence, past and present, and the conditions under which it occurs,” he tells Al Jazeera.
The violence could have been triggered by theft – particularly of livestock – or social disputes such as perceived insults that escalated into murderous acts of revenge.
“The extreme violence observed here was probably not an isolated incident,” says Schulting. “It would have had an impact as the relatives and friends of the victims would have sought revenge and this could have led to cycles of violence in the region.”
This suggests that cannibalism appears to have been a conscious act of dehumanizing victims rather than a means of subsistence.
How does this affect our view of Early Bronze Age society?
The study paints a more complex and darker picture of early Bronze Age Britain and calls into question its reputation as a relatively peaceful period.
“Sometimes a single location can change our perception,” explains Schulting.
The Bronze Age lasted approximately between 2,500 and 800 BC. BC and was characterized by advances in metal processing, agriculture and trade.
From the Early Bronze Age, few skeletons with obvious injuries have been unearthed in the UK, suggesting minimal violence. However, swords and mountain fortifications appeared in the Neolithic period, about 1,500 years before Charterhouse, and in the middle to late Bronze Age, notes Schulting.
The study highlights the Early Bronze Age community’s capacity for large-scale violence, possibly triggered by social disputes or disease outbreaks. Evidence of plague infection in the teeth of two children suggests that the disease may have caused increased tension.
Was cannibalism also practiced in other cultures in the past?
Archaeological evidence and studies show that cannibalism occurred sporadically in certain areas throughout history and was not a widespread norm.
For example, a study of prehistoric European sites found cannibalism in less than 10 percent of known assemblages, often associated with specific rituals or survival events rather than daily life. In archeology, assemblages are collections of artifacts, bones or other materials that were found together in a specific context, such as a burial site or settlement.
In prehistoric Europe, sites such as Gough’s Cave in Cheddar Gorge, 3 km (1.9 mi) from Charterhouse Warren, provide evidence of anthropophagy as part of funerary rituals. This involved deliberate alterations to human remains, such as the creation of “skull cups” from skulls, probably for ceremonial purposes, highlighting a symbolic rather than violent context.
Outside Europe, ritual or survival cannibalism has been reported among ancient Mesoamerican civilizations such as the Aztecs, who practiced human sacrifice and subsequent consumption as part of religious rituals, and among indigenous groups such as the Fore people of Papua New Guinea, who engaged in corpse cannibalism (Consumption of human remains in a mortuary) to honor the deceased.
The symbolic nature of these practices has been inferred from ethnographic reports and archaeological finds that demonstrate structured, ceremonial handling of human remains.
