Aerial views of two mass graves in Alsace, FranceF. Chenal; P. Lefranc
Posted on 09/11/2025 6:45:10 AM PDT by SunkenCiv
A decade ago, archaeologists made a grisly discovery when they unearthed two Neolithic mass graves at the sites of Bergheim and Achenheim in northeastern France. The pits contained severed limbs and human skeletons, evidence of excessive violence and mutilation that did not match normal Neolithic patterns. Some deceased individuals buried in other nearby graves, however, showed no signs of brutality. A new study has recently analyzed the chilling remains to try and reconstruct the identities of the individuals and determine why some were treated so cruelly, according to a statement released by the University of Oxford. Researchers conducted multi-isotopic analysis on 82 people who had been buried at the sites between 4300 and 4150 b.c. to ascertain information about diet, movement, and possible relocation. The results indicated that the individuals who had been violently cut down had different dietary habits than those whose remains showed no signs of trauma. They also seemed to have moved around frequently during their lifetimes and were likely outsiders to the region. Specialists concluded that this group of foreigners was likely taken captive during a battle or raid and subjected to violent execution and torture as part of a local ritual intended to humiliate the enemy and reinforce social unity. Dismembered limbs were likely taken as trophies of war. "These findings speak to a deeply embedded social practice -- one that used violence not just as warfare, but as spectacle, memory, and assertion of dominance," said Oxford archaeologist Rick Schulting. Read the original scholarly article about this research in Science Advances. For more, go to "Culture Clash."
(Excerpt) Read more at archaeology.org ...
Aerial views of two mass graves in Alsace, FranceF. Chenal; P. Lefranc
Around three million years ago, early hominins developed what is known as the Oldowan toolkit to work wood, pound plant material, or process animal carcasses. To create these specialized tools, our human ancestors used hammerstones to strike at stone cores and create sharp-edged flakes. Finding the right rocks was integral, as Oldowan tools needed to be shaped from stones that were strong, yet also brittle enough to easily flake. According to a statement released by the Leakey Foundation, new research suggests that early humans were surprisingly capable of identifying sources of suitable stones and transporting them over long distances. The evidence comes from the site of Nyayanga on Kenya's Homa peninsula, where excavations uncovered a trove of fragmentary stone tools. Local rocks in the area were relatively soft, however, and would have resulted in poor utensils. Using geochemical and geological analysis, researchers determined that 2.6 million years ago, the site's occupants routinely traveled around six miles to another site on the peninsula in order to procure better source material, and then carried those stones back with them to Nyayanga. This is the earliest evidence of early hominins moving significant rocks over long distances and predates other known instances by around 600,000 years. This marks a major milestone in the history of human evolution as it demonstrates ancient hominins' ability to mentally map their environment and remember locations with high-quality stones. Read the original scholarly article about this research in Science Advances. To read about the earliest known stone tools discovered in Kenya, go to "The First Toolkit."
Oldowan stone toolsE.M Finestone, J.S. Oliver, Homa Peninsula Paleoanthropology Project
In many parts of the world, such as Europe, Asia, and southern and eastern Africa, archaeologists have been able to document the lives of hunter-gatherer societies that lived thousands of years ago because much of the archaeological evidence has been preserved within well-protected caves. Because of the climatic and geological conditions in West Africa, however, almost no traces of this time period survive there, leaving archaeologists with a sizable gap in knowledge about the region. According to a statement released by the University of Geneva, excavations in Senegal's Falémé Valley uncovered a site that is now providing unprecedented new information about the nomadic communities who lived there 9,000 years ago. At the site of Ravin Blanc X, a team unearthed the remnants of a quartz knapping workshop and a fireplace. Hardly any finished and whole tools were recovered, since these were carried away from the site. But archaeologists were able to analyze the tiny residual and broken fragments to determine what kind of objects hunter-gatherers had made and the methods that they used. "By patiently piecing together the flakes and cores that had remained in place since then, like a jigsaw puzzle, we were able to reconstruct the techniques used, the criteria for selecting high-quality quartz, and the skill level of the knappers,'' said lead researcher Charlotte Pruvost. The inhabitants of West Africa favored very small stone tools, or microliths, designed to be hafted and used as hunting weapons. These were likely preferred for their portability and efficiency, and reveal sophisticated craftsmanship aimed at producing highly standardized, identical tools. Read the original scholarly article about this research in PLOS One. For more on stone tools, go to "The First Toolkit."
© UNIGE-ARCAN
Science in Poland reports that archaeologists have uncovered a site in the Mazovia region that they believe served as a Neanderthal tool workshop around 70,000 years ago. The site of Zwolen was first discovered in the 1980s but has recently been the focus of a new investigation led by the State Archaeological Museum, the University of Warsaw, and the University of Wroclaw. Over the past two years, the team has uncovered bones and teeth belonging to mammoths, horses, and hippos, as well as hundreds of fragments of Neanderthal flint tools. Researchers have identified these as pieces of knives and scrapers that were used to butcher, skin, and process animal carcasses. Analysis of the abundant flint flakes led experts to conclude that finished tools were frequently brought to the site to undergo sharpening, repair, and refurbishment. Zwolen is the northernmost Neanderthal site in Poland and stands out for its open-air nature, as most evidence of Neanderthal activity survives only in cave environments. "Neanderthal finds are rare," said University of Warsaw's Katarzyna Pyzewicz. "Whatever happens in this area, has great value and provides new data. These sites are often hidden a few meters below the surface, so it is difficult to find them." For more on Neanderthals in Poland, go to "Around the World: Poland."
Neanderthal tool, Zwolen, PolandFaculty of Archaeology, University of Warsaw
Astonishing new evidence from the Obi-Rakhmat cave shelter in Uzbekistan's Paltau valley may push back the timeline of the development of bow and arrow technology, Science News Today reports. A team from the University of Bordeaux and the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography in Novosibirsk uncovered hundreds of stone artifact fragments from deposits in the cave ranging from 40,000 to 90,000 years old. They determined that at least 20 of these resembled projectile points that fall into three categories: large retouched points, micropoints, and bladelets. These objects likely functioned as arrowheads, the team theorized, but they appear to be around 80,000 years old. Most scholars traditionally believe that early humans first began using bows and arrows to hunt around 50,000 years ago, a major turning point in human history. Scholars have largely associated this technology with the spread of Homo sapiens out of Africa and into Eurasia. This new evidence suggests that the development and use of lightweight projectiles may be tens of thousands of years older than previously thought, though the researchers caution that more work is needed. Read the original scholarly article about this research in PLOS One. For more on bow and arrow technology, go to "Weapons of the Ancient World: Hunting Equipment."
Comparison between micropoints from Obi-Rakhmat, layers 20-21, and Mandrin, layer E [6,150].Credit: PLOS One (2025)
First evidence of early neolithic archery from Cueva de los Murciélagos (Albuñol, Granada) revealed through combined chemical and morphological analysis | Ingrid Bertin, María Martín-Seijo, Francisco Martínez-Sevilla, Krista McGrath, Jonathan Santana, Maria Herrero-Otal, Rafael M. Martínez Sánchez, Antoni Palomo, Martine Regert, Isabelle Théry & Raquel Piqué | 05 December 2024 | Scientific Reports volume 14
I’m pretty sure the guy with the cracked skull went by Psycho, but his real name was Francis.
What is highly unusual about this find is the perpetrators (winners) went to all the trouble to bury the victims.
Most biblical massacres talk about leaving the victims to be consumed by wild beasts and birds of prey.
I’m not sure about the victims, but I think that the perpetrators might have been a member of either the Soprano or Corleone clans, and that the victims owed a bunch of sea shells that they couldn’t repay.
The fact that it took thousands of years just to notice a mass grave indicates you’re correct. When they say fuggitaboutit...
Now you’re talkin’
CSI: Time Travelers
Definitely a lot of labor; ultimately there's no way to know who buried them. Survivors may have come out of hiding (or returned home from a hunt) after the perps left and gave them the only form of burial they could manage.
LOL
Yes, quite possible.
Good thinking on your part.
It does not make much sense. Maybe these were the remains of their own, killed by others.
Probably the reason there aren't more of these finds (besides the fact that most such things are found by accident) is precisely what you said -- leave the fallen where they are (minus any valuables, including any useful tools or weapons) and leave the bodies for excarnation by scavengers.
"Dismembered limbs were likely taken as trophies of war." -- orrr, maybe the scavenging had begun before the survivors arrived to bury them.
"Just not HIS arms and legs. Is that right?"
They pieced together the identities of the massacre victims? So what were their names?
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