New revelations about life in its Neolithic farming society Europe of 6000-2000 BC scientists bring to light, dispelling the myth of peaceful societies. As experts say violence and war had spread to many Neolithic agricultural societies.
In the research on the societies of northwestern Europe covering the period between 6000 – 2000 BC. (period of spread of agriculture in the West) scientists emphasize that: “Competition for land suitable for cultivation was probably one of the main causes of endemic violence».
The presence of mass graves in some cases betrays the extermination of entire settlements
Bioarchaeological analysis of skeletons from 2,300 early farmers from 180 different sites in France, Germany, Britain, Denmark, Sweden and Spain shows that more than one in ten bear clear weapon wounds, mainly to the skull, from blunt instruments or stone chisels. Many cases of puncture wounds were also found on the rest of the body, mostly from arrows. The presence of mass graves in some cases betrays the extermination of entire settlements.
“The study raises the question of why violence appears to have been so widespread during that period. The most plausible explanation is that the economic basis of society had changed. With agriculture came inequality and those who were less successful seem to have occasionally engaged in raiding and collective violence as an alternative strategy for success. And the results are now increasingly being recognized by archaeologists,” said researcher Dr Martin Smith of Bournemouth University’s Department of Archeology and Anthropology.
Photo img: pnas.org
Source: News Beast
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