4,000 years ago, screams echoed from the depths of a cave in England. On this site, remains now tell a chilling tale. An entire community fell victim to such extreme violence that it leaves scientists perplexed.
It all began in the 1970s when speleologists explored a natural chasm at Charterhouse Warren in Somerset County. They discovered more than 3,000 fragments of human bones. But it was not until five decades later that a thorough analysis revealed the extent of the tragedy. The remains belong to 37 individuals: men, women, children, and even newborns.
a) Perimortem trauma on the rear left of the frontal bone.
b) Visible strike marks on the frontal bone.
c) Weathered beveling on the internal surface around the wound.
d) Skull with a perforation in the median frontal bone.
e) Close-up showing radiating fractures.
f) Internal view revealing weathered beveling.
g) Adult skull.
h) Strike marks along the median frontal.
i) Perimortem blunt force fracture on a connecting fragment of the right frontal bone. The marks on the bones tell a terrifying story. Crushed skulls indicate blows delivered at close range. On some fragments, cut marks suggest post-mortem mutilations: decapitations, scalpings, and even eviscerations. The bones of limbs show signs of human chewing. These damning clues point to acts of cannibalism.
Researchers believe this violence is not linked to mere famine. Near the human bones, livestock remains were found, ruling out a vital need for food. This discovery leads scientists to consider other explanations. Some propose the hypothesis of ritual revenge or a symbolic act meant to wipe out a rival community.
Other theories point to the bacterium *Yersinia pestis*, responsible for the plague. Traces of the pathogen were identified in the teeth of two children. The fear of an epidemic could have exacerbated tensions and triggered an eruption of collective violence.
For Anna Osterholtz, a bioarchaeologist, these extreme acts might have served to reinforce a group's social cohesion. Displaying public violence could have been a way to assert dominance over rivals or to define clear boundaries within a community.
Rick Schulting, an archaeologist at the University of Oxford, emphasizes that the Early Bronze Age had so far been perceived as a peaceful era. The remains at Charterhouse Warren challenge this idea. The absence of a burial site and the condition of the bones testify to an unprecedented massacre.
The mystery remains unsolved. Why such cruelty? Was this an isolated act or part of a cycle of tribal retaliation? For now, scientists continue to analyze the remains to unravel this ancient enigma.
This grim episode is a reminder that violence is not a modern phenomenon. Bronze Age societies were capable of acts of extraordinary brutality, far from the idealized images of that era.
Article author: Cédric DEPOND