The advent of agriculture did not bring with it a peaceful rural idyll: the lives of many people in Neolithic north-western Europe were strongly marked by violence and war. This grim overall picture is reflected in the analysis of collected survey data from 180 archaeological sites in Europe. Many relevant traces on the human remains therefore testify to widespread brutality. Presumably this was connected to the new way of life of the people, the researchers say.
The Neolithic Age was the time of a drastic change that still shapes our world today: From around 9500 B.C. In the early 1st century BC, people in the area of the Fertile Crescent in the Near East changed from hunter-gatherers to sedentary farmers who practiced agriculture and animal husbandry. This way of life then spread further and further, eventually reaching north-western Europe. After a long assumption that this era was marked by a rather peaceful life there, this picture increasingly changed: signs of injury on human remains at various sites and even evidence of outright massacres suggested that violence was not exceptional at the time.
On the trail of Neolithic violence
In order to get a clearer overall picture for Northwest Europe, the scientists led by Linda Fibiger from the University of Edinburgh have now devoted an overview study to the topic. To do this, they evaluated existing research data, which includes skeletal remains from a total of more than 2,300 early farmers who lived between about 8,000 and 4,000 years ago. They come from 180 different sites in Denmark, France, Germany, Great Britain, Spain and Sweden. The bones had been examined using bioarchaeological methods in order to uncover abnormalities of an advisory nature.
As part of their study, the researchers first make it clear that there are a number of factors and limitations to be considered when interpreting bioarchaeological results. But the value is enormous: "Human bones can provide archaeologists with the strongest evidence of past hostilities," says Fibiger. "The ability to distinguish between fatal injuries and postmortem fractures has also improved greatly in recent years, as has the ability to distinguish between accidental injuries and weapon attacks," says the researcher.
Dark overall picture
The team analyzed the collected data for signs of injuries that primarily affect the skull. It was mostly the result of violence from blunt objects or stone axes. There are also examples of penetrating injuries believed to be from arrows. The team reports that such marks are significantly more common in Neolithic skeletons compared to corpses from the previous hunter-gatherer era. "Overall, in most Neolithic societies in Europe, the incidence of individuals showing signs of trauma is up to about 10 percent," the researchers write. In the case of mass graves, which indicate extensive acts of violence, the rates are significantly higher.
The scientists point out that severe injuries often leave no traces on the bones. There could have been significantly more people with experiences of violence or violent causes of death. The researchers come to the conclusion that, at least for Northwest Europe, the idea of a “peaceful Neolithic” must be finally buried. "Collecting data from multiple sources suggests that violence in Neolithic Europe was widespread and sometimes reached levels that led to the outright destruction of entire communities," the researchers write.
This, of course, raises the question of why violence could have been so widespread during this period. Says senior author Martin Smith of Bournemouth University: "The most plausible explanation seems to be that the economic basis of society had changed: with agriculture came inequality, and those who were less successful sometimes seem more inclined to plunder and collective violence than to have resorted to an alternative strategy for success," says the scientist.
Source: University of Edinburgh, professional article: PNAS, doi: 10.1073/pnas.2209481119