Archaeologists uncover 78 headless skeletons in Neolithic ditch in Slovakia
Researchers found 78 skeletons, all but one without heads, in a ditch near Vráble. The remains date to 5250–4950 B.C.E. and appear to reflect deliberate burial practices rather than violence.
popularmechanics.comArchaeologists have uncovered 78 ancient skeletons, nearly all missing their heads, in a ditch at a Neolithic settlement near Vráble, Slovakia. The remains were piled atop one another inside a ditch that once bordered one of three neighborhoods at the site. Researchers began work there in 2012 and have since mapped the locations of roughly 300 houses.
Burial context Analyses indicate the bodies were placed in the ditch shortly after death as part of a recurring cultural practice. All but one skeleton, that of a child, were found headless; the heads appear to have been removed after death with no signs of violent decapitation.
The joint project between Kiel University and the Slovenian Academy of Sciences has now published its findings in the journal Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society.
Research timeline Excavations have continued for more than a decade, focusing on the period when pottery and agriculture spread across central Europe. Researchers say the arrangement of remains differs from other prehistoric sites where similar manipulation has been linked to conflict.
"The features clearly exhibit an intentional manipulation of the bodies," said one co-author. Another noted that the practices likely carried meanings distinct from those of modern societies.
