8legs: Teresa fernández-crespo

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Ancient bones reveal chilling victory rituals after Europe’s earliest wars

New isotope analysis links Neolithic victims to local and distant origins, revealing a two-tier ritual after battles.
Researchers say the violence formed organized rituals after conflict to shame defeated enemies and strengthen group identity.
The study, published in Science Advances, analyzes mass graves dating to about 4300–4150 BCE in Alsace.
Local enemies killed in battle were dismembered, with severed limbs found in pits as trophies.
Captives from distant regions were executed in public displays as part of the ritual.
The research challenges the idea that prehistoric violence was random, suggesting purposeful social aims.
Isotope signatures indicate victims were outsiders, showing mobility and different diets than locals.
The study involved researchers from the University of Oxford and multiple European institutions.
The research was supported by a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions grant from the Horizon 2020 program.
The findings offer a new perspective on how violence shaped early social structures and memory.

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