A prehistoric burial site has revealed a brutal massacre of women and children from a large family in Poland 4,800 years ago.
This is the theory proposed by researchers when analyzing the remains of a group of 15 prehistoric people discovered near the village of Koszyce, a town in Proszowice County, in southern Poland’s Voivodeship.
This burial site of tragic fates contains no adult male bones, and experts believe that the women and children in the grave were killed while the men were away.
It is presumed that the men of this family returned from a trip, perhaps a hunting expedition, to find their family massacred by a hostile group.
The surviving warriors carefully arranged the remains of their loved ones, with mothers positioned as if holding their children, accompanied by jewelry and animals.
This burial site of tragic fates contains no adult male bones, and experts believe that the women and children in the grave were killed while the men were away.
The Unveiling of the Truth
Previous excavations in 2011 uncovered a mass grave, where the condition of the bones being shattered and the skulls being cut suggested that they had suffered a painful and horrific death.
Analysis of the bones of the deceased showed that they all came from a group of related families living around 2800 BCE. Four of the women were buried with their children, and among the men in the pit, four were half-brothers.
The way the surviving loved ones buried the unfortunate victims in the grave was heartbreaking. A middle-aged woman was placed next to her two young sons, and a mother around 30 to 35 years old was laid to rest with her teenage daughter and five-year-old son.
The reason why many related men were absent from the grave is still unknown, but it is speculated that a large group might have been out hunting or working in the fields.
Many goods were also found at the site, indicating that these people belonged to the Globular Amphora culture.
The burial site lacks many male bones, leading experts to believe that the women and children in the grave were killed while the men were away. This image illustrates how the bodies were found and their relationships with each other.
Genetic analysis found in the grave suggests that these people were farmers. According to a study published in the multidisciplinary scientific journal of the US National Academy of Sciences, the Corded Ware people might be responsible for this heinous act.
These groups shared common DNA, but the Corded Ware people had developed and expanded rapidly across Europe at that time. This could have led to a massacre conspiracy by neighbors. The Corded Ware people were believed to have lived alongside and integrated with the Yamnaya people, who were considered the most violent group at that time.
The Yamnaya culture emerged around 3300 – 2600 BCE in the European steppes and quickly spread across the rest of the continent, destroying cultures and interactions.
Ancient DNA shows that these migrants were well-nourished, tall, and muscular. Some archaeologists also believe that the warrior tribe included many elite horsemen.
“They seem to have lived mainly on meat and dairy products,” said Kristian Kristiansen at the University of Gothenburg in an interview with New Scientist magazine. “They were healthier and physically stronger.”
Genetic analysis found in the grave suggests that these people were farmers. According to a study published in the multidisciplinary scientific journal of the US National Academy of Sciences, the Corded Ware people might be responsible for this heinous act.
Ancient DNA shows that these migrants were well-nourished, tall, and muscular. Some archaeologists also believe that the warrior tribe included many elite horsemen.
Who were the Globular Amphora people?
The Globular Amphora people lived around 3400 – 2800 BCE in Central Europe. They coexisted with the Corded Ware and Yamnaya people and were primarily farming traders and livestock keepers, particularly of pigs. Researchers have found evidence indicating that their settlements were small, crude, and temporary.
Their burial culture was also quite impressive, with wide burial pits and the practice of burying the dead with grave goods, often including animal remains and sacrificial offerings.
They shared DNA with the Corded Ware people, who were rapidly developing and expanding across Europe at that time.
These people also interbred and integrated with the Yamnaya culture when invaded from the west by the Yamnaya people, ruthless barbaric killers who swept across the continent.
A controversial 2017 study also asserted that the burial rituals for men and women differed in this society after the Yamnaya successfully invaded. The men maintained their burial traditions while the women were buried according to the local civilization’s customs.
Some argue that this indicates the Yamnaya invasion massacred all the men, while the women were raped to quickly reproduce, continuing the Yamnaya’s malevolent bloodline.
Such aggressive and brutally murderous behavior would undoubtedly have caused considerable outrage in Stone Age society, and they needed to do something to curb the increasingly powerful Yamnaya force.
Evidence of a war against the Yamnaya empire was discovered at an archaeological site in Germany named Eulau.
Here, graves were found to contain a large number of women and children.
Isotope analysis of the adults’ teeth revealed they were not local to the area and had grown up elsewhere before moving in—possibly women captured by the Yamnaya.
Of the 13 bodies at this site, five had injuries likely causing their deaths, and experts assert this could also be evidence of them being ambushed and massacred by rival tribes in a retaliatory attack.
The men of the tribe were likely away tending livestock when the raid occurred, leaving the women and children defenseless.
Eulau is an example of local people seeking revenge, but experts caution that this event also has unusual details, with more mysteries to be unveiled in the future.
