Archaeologists have unearthed chilling evidence of ancient Stone Age rituals, shedding light on the practices of our distant ancestors. The recent discovery, published in Science Advances on April 10, unveils a grim tradition of ritualistic killings dating back over 2,000 years.
The tomb, nestled in the Rhone Valley near Saint-Paul-Trois-Chateaux in Avignon, southern France, has remained hidden for millennia until its discovery over two decades ago. Resembling the structure of a grain silo, this tomb holds the remains of three women interred approximately 5,500 years ago.
What sets this finding apart is the tragic fate of these women. Analysis reveals that they were buried alive, their skeletons found with their necks intricately bound to their legs behind their backs in a gruesome self-strangulation technique known as incaprettamento.
Eric Crubrezy, a biological anthropologist at Paul Sabatier University, suggests a connection between these ceremonies and agriculture, pointing to the alignment of the tomb and other agricultural artifacts found nearby. Similar tombs across Europe, spanning from 5,400 to 3,500 BC, hint at the widespread nature of this practice.
According to Crubrezy’s team, incaprettamento likely originated as a sacrificial tradition in the Mesolithic period, evolving into human sacrifices associated with agricultural rituals in the Neolithic. Penny Bickle, an archaeologist at the University of York, supports this theory, citing parallels between fertility rituals and human sacrifice.
While unsettling to modern sensibilities, this research provides invaluable insight into the religious and cultural practices of our ancient predecessors. It underscores the profound role that rituals played in their lives, offering a glimpse into the complexities of early societies and the beliefs that shaped them.
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