(ORDO NEWS) — Archaeologists have discovered the remains of 38 people in a ditch that surrounded the ancient settlement.
The excavations took place in the Slovenian city of Vrable. In the Stone Age, the settlement of Vrable-Velke-Lehemby (5250–4950 BC) was one of the largest settlements in Central Europe.
In total, approximately 313 house remains were identified in three neighboring settlements, and at the peak, 80 houses were occupied in this place.
The southwestern settlement was surrounded by a double moat 1.3 km long and thus separated from the rest.
Some sections were fortified with a palisade, which scientists interpret not as a defensive structure, but rather as a marking of the village territory.
During excavations in the summer of 2022, a Slovak-German scientific team discovered the remains of at least 38 people scattered over an area of about 15 square meters.
The skeletons lay one on top of the other, side by side, stretched out on their stomachs, hunched over on their sides, on their backs with outstretched limbs. It is unlikely that they were deliberately buried – rather they were thrown into a pit (or they rolled down on their own).
All but one baby are missing their heads, including their lower jaws.
“In mass graves with an unclear location, identification of a person is usually carried out by the skull, so this year’s find is particularly difficult for us,” says Martin Furholt.
As a hypothesis of the origin of the burial, archaeologists put forward mass murder, possibly in connection with magical or religious rituals.
In addition, people could fall victim to armed conflict. A more detailed answer from scientists will appear only after genetic and radiocarbon analysis of the remains.
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