One of Europe’s largest Iron Age mass graves contains mostly women and children
A field in northern Serbia holds a horrible secret dating back at least 2,800 years. At the archaeological site of Gomolava, about 35 miles west of Belgrade, researchers discovered one of the largest known mass burials of its type. The mass grave contains the remains of more than 77 murdered people, most of them women and children. Despite the macabre scene, the excavation also presents unexpected details that suggest a complicated moment in Europe’s early Iron Age. The findings are detailed in a study recently published in the journal Human behavior.
Mass graves are unfortunately common in ancient places around the world, with many prehistoric examples dotting present-day Europe. Although these burial sites frequently include the remains of closely related victims, Gomolava is home to a significantly different situation.
“When we encounter prehistoric mass graves with this type of population, we might expect them to be families from a village that was attacked,” Barry Molloy, study co-author and archaeologist from University College Dublin, explained in a statement. “Gomolava truly surprised us when our genetic analysis showed that the majority of people studied were not just unrelated, or even unrelated to their great-great-grandparents.”
Closer examination of the remains indicates that the genetic aliens were not captured warriors either. About 87 percent of those who died were women, while 40 were children aged one to 12. 11 others were adolescents and 24 were adults. The researchers identified only one infant: a male.
Most showed signs of bludgeoning and stabbing, but their burial was far from random or careless. On the contrary, the authors took great care in preparing the burial site.
“It is common in prehistoric mass graves for victims to be hastily buried together in a pit, perhaps by survivors or even by their killers,” Molloy said.
But even if Gomolava died were Quickly buried in an abandoned semi-buried house, they were not buried alone.
“What is unique is that not only were the bodies and their valuables not looted, but offerings were made as part of what must have been a respectful ritual,” he added.
Items discovered included bronze jewelry, ceramic drinking vessels, and even the remains of a slaughtered calf. The amount of effort and time required to complete the task implies that the mass murder was part of a larger symbolic ceremony.
“Both the brutal killings 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,” suggested Linda Fibiger, an archaeologist from the University of Edinburgh and co-author of the study.
Given the genetic diversity and choice of victims, the team believes that these deaths are not necessarily the result of war. Instead, they were a warning to neighboring communities.
“What we discovered at Gomolava tells us that as things recovered in this region and moved toward the Iron Age, the reassertion of control over landscapes could include widespread and extremely violent episodes between competing groups,” Malloy said.
According to study co-author Hannes Schroeder, an archaeologist at the University of Copenhagen, violence may also have explicitly targeted women and children, aiming to break family lines and weaken rival communities.
“Beyond documenting a single tragedy, our findings speak to human behavior in times of upheaval,” Schroeder said.
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