A large mass grave from the Early Iron Age indicates selective violence towards women and children in the Carpathian Basin
Nature • • world
Key Points:
- Bioarchaeological analysis of 77 individuals from the Gomolava mass grave revealed a predominance of females (70.8%) and juveniles (51.9%), an unusual demographic pattern for European prehistoric mass graves, suggesting targeted gender- and age-selective killings.
- Extensive evidence of intentional, lethal trauma was found in 18.2% of individuals, mostly peri-mortem cranial injuries caused by blunt and projectile weapons, indicating brutal, deliberate violence rather than a pandemic or natural cause of death.
- Isotopic and ancient DNA analyses showed the victims originated from diverse local and regional backgrounds, reflecting a heterogeneous group drawn from multiple settlements or translocal communities, with genetic ancestry similar to Bronze and Early Iron Age populations in the
