Ancient human remains reveal brutal 4,000-year-old massacre in Somerset

The discovery of 4,000-year-old human remains at Charterhouse Warren in Somerset has revealed a troubling chapter of British prehistory. Analysis of more than 3,000 bone fragments from at least 37 individuals, ranging from newborns to adults, indicated unprecedented levels of violence. The findings, published in Antiquity, revealed signs of scalping, decapitation, defleshing, tongue removal, dismemberment and cannibalism. Researchers have suggested that these acts represent a dark episode of social and political violence in the Early Bronze Age, estimated to have lasted between 2200 and 2000 BC.

evidence of cruelty

According to reports, bone analysis conducted by Oxford University archaeologist Rick Schulting and his colleagues shed light on the violent deaths, with 30 percent of the skulls showing fractures around the time of death. About 20 percent of the bones have cutting marks with stone tools, indicating post-mortem action. Decapitation was confirmed in six individuals based on damage to the cervical vertebrae, while marks on the jawbone and ribs suggest removal of the tongue and dismemberment. Evidence of crush fractures on small bones points to human chewing.

Unclear motivations behind violence

According to the research team, these actions do not align with any known Bronze Age funerary practices. The scale of violence and the number of victims indicate genocide. The study speculated that the cruelty may be retaliatory or related to violations of social norms, possibly reflecting intense political motives. Anna Osterholtz, a bioarchaeologist at Mississippi State University, commented in an email to Live Science that violence of this nature often serves a social function, affecting group identity and relationships.

Possible link to disease

The teeth of two victimized children contained traces of Yersinia pestis, the bacterium responsible for plague. This finding has led researchers to propose that fear associated with the disease may have played a role in increasing tensions within the community. Work on the remains continues, with researchers aiming to uncover more of the events surrounding this grim episode of British prehistory.