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Mass burial of decapitated bodies in Slovakia 7,000 years ago turns out to be part of a Neolithic ritual, not evidence of a massacre
An international group of archaeologists from Kiel University and the Slovak Academy of Sciences has concluded that the mass accumulation of 7,000-year-old decapitated skeletons discovered in the Slovak settlement of Vráble-Veľké Lehemby is likely evidence of a systematic ritual practice, rather than a one-time massacre. The research results were published in the journal Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society.
TL;DR
- An international archaeological team found at least 77 decapitated skeletons and one complete skeleton dating back to 5300–4950 BC in Vráble, Slovakia.
- The placement of skeletons in the ditch, particularly in pairs near entrances, suggests a systematic ritualistic practice rather than a massacre.
- Heads were removed with sharp tools, and bodies were deposited in the ditch soon after death, with the heads' whereabouts unknown.
- The ritual may have been internal to the community, as the burial site was within one of three residential areas.
- This finding aligns with other evidence of mass violence or body manipulation in late Linear Pottery culture settlements across Central Europe, suggesting complex Neolithic cosmological beliefs.