Researchers have reported the discovery of evidence indicating a brutal tradition of human sacrifice through horrific rituals that appears to have been practiced for at least two millennia in prehistoric times.
These findings, detailed in a study published in the journal Science Advances, originated from the excavation of an unusual Neolithic burial site in France.
The burial site is located in a Neolithic concentration area near Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux, situated in the Rhône Valley in the southern part of the country. There, the lead author Bertrand Ludes – along with the French Institute for East Asian Studies (IFRAE) – and colleagues discovered the remains of three women, two of whom were found in unusual positions.
The oldest of the three, identified as Woman 1, was found in a central position within the grave, lying on her left side. The other two individuals, referred to as Women 2 and 3, were positioned beneath a protruding section.
The remains of three women, two of whom were found in unusual positions.
Woman 2 was found lying on her back with her limbs contorted and a grinding stone resting on her skull. Woman 3 was discovered face down, with her neck resting on Woman 2’s chest. The positioning of one of the women even suggests she may have been buried alive.
According to the researchers, the placement of the remains indicates that Women 2 and 3 were murdered through a form of ritual strangulation. This may relate to a method known as “ligature strangulation,” characterized by the victim being bound in a face-down position around the neck and ankles with a cord.
The researchers wrote in the paper: “Self-strangulation became unavoidable due to the forced position of the legs.” “Currently, this form of torture, known as incaprettamento, is associated with the Mafia in Italy and is sometimes used to punish those deemed traitors.”
The researchers determined that the women were sacrificed between approximately 4000 and 3500 BCE, and likely died from “asphyxiation due to forced positioning.” This cause of death occurs when the victim is placed in a position that obstructs breathing, preventing escape.
Three women likely died from “asphyxiation due to forced positioning.”
However, while Ludes and colleagues can confirm that the deaths of the women were certainly violent, they require more evidence before determining whether their manner of death is connected to a more widespread Neolithic sacrificial tradition.
To achieve this, the researchers examined existing anthropological and archaeological literature, uncovering 20 cases – from sites spanning an area from Eastern Europe to Catalonia in northeastern Spain – that showed similarities to the women of Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux.
The earliest example of this treatment found by the researchers dates back to 5400-4800 BCE, indicating that forced-position asphyxiation remained a sacrificial tradition for over 2,000 years in this region, long before the French interred their dead.
The authors stated in a press release: “This cultural phenomenon may have diversified in Central Europe and self-structured at varying levels for nearly two millennia before peaking at the end of the Neolithic in Central Europe.”
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