Analysis of remains from at least 37 individuals from Early Bronze Age England reveals that they were killed, butchered, and potentially eaten before being dumped into a 15-meter deep shaft. This incident marks the largest recorded instance of interpersonal violence in British prehistory. The manner in which the remains were treated likely aimed to dehumanize the victims. This massacre is believed to be an act of revenge for a perceived slight, suggesting a cycle of violence and challenging the notion that Early Bronze Age Britain was a peaceful time.
A team of archaeologists has studied more than 3000 human bones and fragments from the Early Bronze Age site of Charterhouse Warren in England. Their analysis indicates that the individuals were massacred, butchered, and probably partially consumed by adversaries as a method of dehumanization.
Although numerous human skeletons from around 2500-1500 cal. BC have been unearthed in Britain, direct signs of violent conflicts are infrequently discovered.
“Interestingly, we observe more evidence of injuries in Neolithic skeletons than in those from the Early Bronze Age in Britain, which makes Charterhouse Warren quite distinctive,” explains Professor Rick Schulting, the lead researcher from the University of Oxford. “This discovery presents a much darker narrative of the era than what many would assume.”
In the 1970s, the remains of at least 37 individuals were found scattered in a 15-meter deep pit at Charterhouse Warren in Somerset. This group included men, women, and children, indicating a representation of a community.
In contrast to contemporary burials, the skulls showed signs of violent death due to blunt force trauma. To solve the mystery of these individuals’ fate, researchers from various European institutions conducted an analysis of the bones, with their findings published in the journal Antiquity.
The researchers noted numerous cutmarks and perimortem fractures (injuries occurring around the time of death) on the bones, indicating that the victims were deliberately butchered and might have been partially consumed. But why would people in Early Bronze Age Britain resort to cannibalism?
At the nearby Palaeolithic site of Gough’s Cave in Cheddar Gorge, cannibalism was possibly part of a funerary ritual. However, Charterhouse Warren presents a different scenario. The evidence of violent death without indications of a struggle suggests the victims were caught off guard. It’s likely they were all massacred, with the butchery performed by their enemies.
Could they have been killed for food? This seems unlikely, as an abundance of cattle bones was found among the human remains, indicating that the inhabitants of Charterhouse Warren likely had sufficient food without needing to resort to cannibalism.
Instead, cannibalism might have served as a way to ‘other’ the deceased. By consuming the flesh and mixing the bones with animal remains, the assailants may have been equating their enemies with animals, thereby stripping away their humanity.
What circumstances led to this extreme violence? Factors like resource competition and climate change do not appear to have heightened conflict in Britain during this time. Furthermore, there is no current genetic evidence indicating that communities of differing ancestries coexisted, which could have caused ethnic strife.
This points to social factors being the root cause of the conflict. Perhaps disputes over theft or insults escalated tensions. Signs of infection, such as plague found in the teeth of two children, suggest that disease might have intensified these stresses.
“The discovery of plague evidence, reported by colleagues at The Francis Crick Institute, was entirely unexpected,” notes Professor Schulting. “We are still uncertain of its connection, if any, to the violence that occurred at this site.”
Ultimately, the findings illuminate a prehistoric society in which perceived grievances and cycles of revenge could lead to disproportionately violent reactions, reminding us of similar dynamics present in more contemporary times.
“Charterhouse Warren is one of those rare archaeological sites that challenges our perceptions of history,” Professor Schulting concludes. “It serves as a poignant reminder that prehistoric people could inflict atrocities akin to those witnessed more recently, revealing a darker facet of human behavior. The likelihood that this was not an isolated incident underscores the importance of sharing its narrative.”
