Recent analysis of some 3,000 bones and bone fragments from the Early Bronze Age site of Charterhouse Warren Farm Swallet (CWFS) in Somerset has revealed that a community of at least 37 men, women and children were brutally massacred, butchered and most probably cannibalised by their enemies.
The remains, which were found buried down a 15-metre-deep shaft, showed signs of cutmarks and fractures inflicted around the time of death, as well as blunt force trauma to the skulls, indicating a violent end for all. As there was no evidence of any fighting, the research suggests that the victims were likely taken by surprise.
These findings pose two fascinating questions: firstly, in this instance, why were they consumed? It’s thought unlikely that it was for any practical purpose such as a dire need for food but more likely to dehumanise, or ‘other’, the victims as a form of retaliation or revenge.
Secondly, was this a one-off incident or was Bronze Age Britain perhaps not quite as peaceful as previously thought? While hundreds of contemporary skeletons have been unearthed across Britain dating from 2500 to 1500 BCE, uncovering remains with such a savage story to tell is unusual.
These questions centre around the analysis of the bones, which was carried out by several European institutions. Lead author of the paper, which was published in the archaeological journal Antiquity, Professor Rick Schulting from the University of Oxford, said: “CWFS stands out as something very unusual… it paints a considerably darker picture of the period than many would have expected.”
Although the bones were initially unearthed in the 1970s, it’s only now that these insights have come to light. When asked “Why now?”, Schulting stated: “Some sites just drop off the radar…the 1988 publication on the site focused mainly on the cave system that was found rather than on the archaeology.”
As for what it tells us and how it shapes past and future finds, Schulting commented: “It is extremely unlikely that this is a one-off massacre… I am convinced there would have been retaliations by the relatives and allies of the victims, and of course, the violence itself might have been revenge for a previous incident.”
He concluded, “I'm sure that some skeletons and sites will be looked at again. But the immediate importance of a site like CWFS is that it challenges our perception of the Early Bronze Age in Britain. We know that violence occurred on occasion, but the scale and extent of violence at the site is on another level entirely. This changes the narrative.”
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