Archaeologists have uncovered a horrific prehistoric massacre in Britain

In the 1970s, archaeologists discovered prehistoric human remains from a deep underground shaft in Somerset, England. However, the truth about what really happened to these men, women and children has only recently come to light.

Archaeologists in the UK and Europe have analyzed the Early Bronze Age remains of 37 individuals in England, finding evidence of a horrific massacre. Their findings, detailed in a study published today in the journal Antiquityshed light on the largest known example of interpersonal violence in British prehistory and challenged the idea that Early Bronze Age Britain (c. 2500 to 1200 BC) was a period of relative peace.

The remains in question include more than 3,000 human bones and bone fragments previously found in a 49.2ft (15m) deep shaft at an archaeological site in Somerset known as Charterhouse Warren. The individuals were men, women and children – potentially representing a community, according to the researchers – who were killed, butchered and possibly cannibalised before being thrown into the shaft.

Led by Rick Schulting of the University of Oxford, the archaeologists found evidence of blunt force trauma to the skull, fractures made at the time of death and cuts that were likely the result of skin removal. The latter two findings specifically suggest intentionality behind the slaughter and cannibalism, according to the study.

Regarding cannibalism, the researchers ruled out burial rituals and starvation as potential motivators. The death of the individuals was apparently violent, there is no evidence of a fight (so they were probably surprised), and the presence of cattle bones in the same shaft indicates that there was no shortage of food at the time. What, then, could have led to this shocking act of prehistoric violence?

“Cannibalism may have been a way for ‘other’ deceased,” the researchers wrote in the Antiquity statement emailed to Gizmodo. “By eating their flesh and mixing the bones with the remains of the fauna, the killers likened their enemies to animals, thereby dehumanizing them.”

However, this explanation does not clarify the motivation behind violence in general. At the time, Britain was not experiencing problematic climate change or other events that could cause competition for resources, according to the study. There is also no known genetic evidence of ethnic conflict.

As a result, the researchers suggest that the conflict may be caused by social factors and eventually be triggered by crimes such as theft and/or insults. Perhaps the plague – revealed in the infected teeth of two children from previous research – may have also exacerbated existing tensions.

“Ultimately, the findings paint a picture of prehistoric humans for whom perceived insults and cycles of revenge may have led to disproportionately violent actions.” This situation, unfortunately, is familiar from more recent times,” they write.

Although direct evidence of violent conflict in Britain between 2500 and 1500 BC are scarce, the scene of this massacre certainly argues against the suggestion that the time period may have been relatively peaceful.

“It paints a significantly darker picture of the period than many would expect,” Schulting explained. “Charterhouse Warren is one of those rare archaeological sites that challenges the way we think about the past,” he added. “That it is unlikely to have been a one-off event makes it all the more important that his story be told,” he added.

“At this stage, our investigation has raised as many questions as it has answered. Work continues to shed more light on this decidedly dark episode of British prehistory,” the researchers concluded in the study.

While we can’t do anything about obscure prehistoric atrocities, perhaps we can learn not just from history but from prehistory to stop our own cycles of revenge from spiraling further out of control than they already have.