New research has uncovered evidence that women and children were deliberately targeted in one of the largest known prehistoric mass murders in Europe.
Archaeologists investigating the burial site of Gomolava in northern Serbia have discovered a tomb containing the remains of more than 77 people. Most of the victims were women and children.
These individuals were buried together approximately 2,800 years ago. Injuries such as blunt force trauma and stab wounds indicate violent deaths that researchers believe were the result of a deliberate and systematic act of mass violence.
“If we came across a prehistoric mass grave with a demographic like this, we might expect them to be families from villages that were attacked,” said Associate Professor Barry Molloy from UCD’s School of Archeology, co-lead and recipient of the ERC grant.
“Mr. Gomolava really surprised us when genetic analysis revealed that not only were the majority of the people studied not related, but even their great-grandparents were not related. This is highly unusual for a prehistoric mass grave, and something you would not expect to find if they had all lived together in a village.”
Genetic evidence points to victims from multiple communities
The ERC-funded study used several scientific methods to examine the remains. As a result, it turns out that, like adults, most of the children in the graves are also women.
Researchers say this pattern suggests the incident was more than a surprise attack. In ancient times, young people were often captured during raids and taken as slaves. The decision to kill them instead may indicate the perpetrators intend to send a brutal warning to other communities.
The survey results are nature human behaviorprovides new insights into Iron Age violence and reveals how mass murder was used to demonstrate power and control in prehistoric Europe.
The victims included 40 children between the ages of 1 and 12, 11 adolescents, and 24 adults. Of these individuals, 87% were female. The only infant found in the grave was a male.
Burial rituals suggest symbolic messages
The burial itself was unusual compared to other prehistoric mass graves. Evidence suggests that the site was carefully prepared and the victims were buried with personal effects such as bronze jewelry and ceramic drinking vessels.
“It is common in prehistoric mass graves for victims to be hastily buried together in pits, perhaps by survivors or murderers. Gomoraba’s victims were hastily buried in disused, semi-subterranean houses, but uniquely, not only were the bodies not looted of valuables, but offerings were made in what was supposed to be a respectful ceremony,” Associate Professor Molloy said.
The remains of slaughtered animals such as calves were also placed in the graves. Researchers also found crushed grain stones and burnt seeds that covered the burial site.
This level of effort indicates that the victims were not simply disposed of after the attack. Rather, the burial appears to have been part of a deliberate, symbolic ritual following the murder.
Dr Linda Fibiger, joint research director at the University of Edinburgh’s School of History, Classics and Archeology, said: “Both the brutal killing and the subsequent commemoration of the event can be interpreted as a powerful attempt to balance power relations and assert dominance over land and resources.”
Clues about Iron Age conflicts in Europe
DNA analysis revealed that the victims were not closely related to each other. At the same time, isotopic data from their teeth and bones revealed differences in their early childhood diets. These findings suggest that the women and children likely came from multiple settlements and may have been captured or forcibly displaced before being killed.
Researchers believe the massacre occurred during a period of instability in the Carpathian Basin. At that time, communities built closed settlements, returning to some of the mounds and large fortifications of Bronze Age settlements.
The construction of these forts may have created new claims to the surrounding land. Researchers say this may have led to conflicts with neighboring groups competing over territorial boundaries and with nomadic pastoralists who access the same land seasonally.
“Our team has been tracking the Bronze Age collapse and its aftermath in Europe, and what we found at Gomoraba shows that as things recover in this region and move into the Iron Age, reasserting control over the landscape can include widespread and highly violent events between competing groups,” added Associate Professor Molloy.
international research cooperation
The study was carried out by an international team led by the University of Dublin, the University of Edinburgh, the University of Copenhagen and the Vojvodina Museum, with the collaboration of researchers from institutions across Europe.
This research was supported by the European Research Council (ERC) grant ‘Autumn 1200 BC’, based at the UCD School of Archaeology.
