Scientists discover causes of death of ancient people in the Atacama Desert 3000 years ago

Survival in the Atacama Desert was not easy, but the main danger here was not nature. Deadly trials awaited the ancient inhabitants of the desert, located on the modern territory of South America. But the biggest threat came from the man himself.

Science Alert writes about it.

In a recent study, scientists examined the remains of some of the first farmers who cultivated the land in the Atacama Desert about 3,000 years ago, in what is now Chile.

It is clear that in the extreme conditions of this arid area, growing crops was an extremely difficult task. But an additional challenge was the social tension caused by socio-cultural changes, which led to horrific incidents of violence. The traces of this violence are visible in the skeletons found.

"Agriculture in this extreme desert was limited to certain areas, such as oases. These oases were separated by a vast barren pampa that dominated the landscape," says anthropologist Vivienne Standen of the University of Tarapac in Chile.

"Moving from these fertile oases to remote, waterless areas became a confrontation with forced conditions and a lack of resources for life. A new socio-cultural structure and land use problems emerged, leading to social tensions, conflicts and violence among farmers."

In the course of the study, the researchers analyzed the remains of 194 adults buried in ancient cemeteries in the Azap Valley, once one of the most fertile valleys in northern Chile. Thanks to the desert conditions, the skeletons, which belonged to the period 800-600 BC, were well preserved, and some of them even had hair and soft tissue.

But many of these skeletons show signs of violence and fighting.

"Of the 194 human skeletons, 21% had injuries that were inconsistent with accidental trauma. In 10% of the cases, the injuries probably led to death, and skull fractures were found in 14 people," the researchers report.

According to the scientists, many of these serious injuries were the result of intentional actions taken by other people during interpersonal conflicts. Some of the blows were fatal and appear to have been inflicted by attackers from behind or using an impact weapon such as a wooden stick, baton or metal weapon.

Read also: Giant "doomsday" fish spotted in Taiwan: what it means (photos and video)

One of the reasons for conflicts between ancient farmers was the struggle for living space, fertile land and access to water, which was caused by climate change.

"This may have provoked competition, tensions and violent conflicts between neighboring social groups in the Azap Valley," the scientists say.

"Also, in light of the changing socio-cultural conditions, new leaders were trying to assert their power and control fertile land, which is why such confrontations broke out," says Standen.

As a reminder, jewelry made from the bones of a giant sloth 25,000 years ago was found in Brazil.

If you want to get the latest news about the war and events in Ukraine, subscribe to our Telegram channel!