Mass violence in Copper Age Europe: The massacre burial site from Potočani, Croatia

Wiley - Tập 176 Số 3 - Trang 474-485 - 2021
Ivor Janković1,2, Jacqueline Balen3, Hrvoje Potrebica4, James C. M. Ahern2, Mario Novak1
1Centre for Applied Bioanthropology, Institute for Anthropological Research, Zagreb, Croatia
2Department of Anthropology University of Wyoming Laramie Wyoming USA
3Prehistoric Department Archaeological Museum in Zagreb Zagreb Croatia
4Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia

Tóm tắt

AbstractObjectivesTo provide a comprehensive analysis of perimortem cranial injuries found on human remains from the Eneolithic (ca. 4200 BCE) mass grave discovered at Potočani, Croatia, to test if the assemblage is a result of a deliberate violent episode on a massive scale.Materials and MethodsStandard bioarchaeological analysis, including inventory of the preserved elements, minimum number of individuals, sex determination, age at death, as well as pattern and distribution of trauma, was recorded.ResultsA minimum of 41 people are present in the sample. Both sexes and almost all age groups are represented, with a prevalence of children and young adults. Four blunt force antemortem injuries are registered in three adult males and one subadult while perimortem injuries are recorded on 13 crania with a total of 28 injuries. The distribution of perimortem injuries is not patterned with age, sex, or siding, and their location is on lateral, posterior, or superior parts of the crania. No “defensive wounds” or other type of injuries are observed on postcranial elements.DiscussionThe injuries, manner of disposal of the bodies, radiocarbon dates, and other available data strongly suggest that the Potočani sample represents a single episode of execution during which the Potočani people were unable to defend themselves. The Potočani massacre is the oldest such example in southeastern Europe and provides additional evidence that indiscriminate violence on a massive scale is not a product of modern societies.

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