Archaeological research has uncovered the largest-scale evidence of interpersonal violence in British prehistory at Charterhouse Warren in Somerset, England. The remains of at least 37 individuals, including men, women, and children from the Early Bronze Age (circa 2500–1500 BCE), were found at the bottom of a 15-meter-deep shaft. These people appear to have been brutally massacred, butchered, and potentially consumed, according to findings recently published in the journal Antiquity.
A Gruesome Discovery
The scattered remains, first uncovered in the 1970s, were analyzed by a team of researchers from several European institutions, including the University of Oxford. More than 3,000 human bones and bone fragments were examined, revealing blunt force trauma to the skulls, cut marks, and fractures made around the time of death. Lead researcher Professor Rick Schulting, from Oxford’s School of Archaeology, described the site as “unusual,” adding, “It paints a considerably darker picture of the Early Bronze Age than many would have expected.”
Unlike other burials of the time, where bodies were typically interred with care, the treatment of these remains suggests a deliberate effort to dehumanize the victims. The remains were mixed with cattle bones, indicating that the butchery was not a means of survival cannibalism but rather an act of symbolic violence. “By eating their flesh and mixing their bones with animal remains, the killers likely aimed to reduce their victims to the level of animals,” the researchers suggest.
Causes of the Violence
The Charterhouse Warren massacre challenges the previously held view of Early Bronze Age Britain as a relatively peaceful period. While there is ample evidence of interpersonal violence during the Neolithic era, similar examples from the Early Bronze Age are rare. The researchers ruled out resource competition, climate change, or ethnic conflict as primary causes, noting that there is no genetic evidence to suggest the co-existence of distinct ancestral communities. Instead, social factors such as theft, perceived insults, or revenge cycles may have escalated tensions, ultimately leading to the massacre.
Adding to the complexity, evidence of plague bacteria was found in the teeth of two children among the remains. Although the relationship between disease and the violence at the site remains unclear, Schulting remarked, “The finding of evidence of the plague in previous research by colleagues from The Francis Crick Institute was completely unexpected. We are still unsure whether, and if so how, this is related to the violence at the site.”
Ritualistic Cannibalism or Revenge?
The researchers compared the findings at Charterhouse Warren with earlier examples of cannibalism at Gough’s Cave in Cheddar Gorge. At Gough’s Cave, cannibalism appeared to serve a funerary or ritual purpose, whereas at Charterhouse Warren, the violence seemed to be rooted in social conflict and a desire to “other” the victims.
Implications for Understanding Prehistoric Behavior
The findings at Charterhouse Warren offer a stark reminder of the capacity for violence in human history. “Charterhouse Warren is one of those rare archaeological sites that challenges the way we think about the past,” Schulting noted. “It is a stark reminder that people in prehistory could match more recent atrocities and shines a light on a dark side of human behavior.”
