Patterns of Collective Violence in the Early Neolithic of Central Europe

Abstract

Online ISBN: 978-3-319-78828-9 In Central Europe, the Early Neolithic Linearbandkeramik (LBK) is the first archaeological culture that left behind a significant number of standardised grave features. These are mostly individual burials in cemeteries or settlements, in which the deceased were placed with care and were often accompanied by various grave goods. In addition, several sites of mass burial are now known for the LBK, which are mainly characterised by haphazard body positions, the absence of grave goods, and, in most cases, obvious signs of perimortem lethal violence. The number of individuals from the deviant mass burial sites allows the identification of significant demographic and injury patterns, which likely reflect the different contextual backgrounds for each site and may inform about past social practices. These patterns are examined in this paper. The partial absence of younger women at Talheim, Asparn/Schletz, and Schöneck-Kilianstädten may be an indicator of the selective capturing of prisoners by Neolithic raiders, while people belonging to other sex and age groups were seemingly killed, mainly by blows to the head. Moreover, children are numerous at all three sites, so as to suggest that settled communities came under attack and were possibly wiped out as a result. While these massacre sites are quite similar in their demographic structure and cranial injury patterns, two other sites discussed in the chapter, namely, Wiederstedt and Halberstadt, markedly differ from them, thus suggesting different causes for the mass fatality events. At Wiederstedt, children dominate among the sample, but no clear signs of violence could be found, while at Halberstadt children are absent, younger men dominate the sample, and the cranial injuries are tightly clustered at the back of the head. It is proposed that disease may have been the cause of death at Wiederstedt, while the Halberstadt men may have been detained and executed. However, despite originating from different events, all these mass fatality sites are unified by the enactment of deviant burial customs, which are quite different from normative LBK burials.