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A grave with skeletons of 38 people dating back 7000 years found in Slovakia, none of them with skulls

Maria Tsikhotska

A grave with skeletons of 38 people dating back 7000 years found in Slovakia, none of them with skulls
Human remains. Source: Kiel University website

Archaeologists have long been researching a prehistoric settlement near the town of Vrably in southern Slovakia. The Vrable-Velke Lehemby archaeological site is one of the largest Early Neolithic settlements in Central Europe and dates back to the period between 5250-4950 BC.

This is reported by the website of the University of Kiel (Germany).

At this site, 313 houses were found, which were located in three villages. Approximately 80 houses were inhabited at the same time. The researchers estimate that about 590 people lived in the three villages, which is an unusually high population density for the period. The artifacts found at the site belong to the Linear Pottery culture, which was common in Central Europe between 5500-4900 BC.

One of the three villages was surrounded by a 1.3 kilometer-long double moat, which distinguished it from the others. In this moat, archaeologists from Slovakia and Germany found the remains of 38 people, including a small child. The skeletons were well preserved, but they were mixed up, and only the child had a skull.

Read also: Ancient necropolis of the 4th-5th century AD found in Croatia: the most important find in the history of the island

This is not the first time headless skeletons have been found in the Vrabla area. Last year, archaeologists from the University of Kiel reported the discovery of skullless skeletons in a moat in Vrabla. At the time, the scientists believed that three villages located near Vrabla had started a feud over dwindling resources. This is probably a mass grave where enemies were buried, judging by the poor treatment of the corpses and the severed heads. Or, perhaps, a ritual was held where the skulls were used for a specific purpose.

So far, this burial remains unexplored.

As a reminder, ancient Roman drawings of an obscene nature dating back 2000 years were found in eastern Spain.

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