Strangled In The Dark For A Good Harvest?
Strangled In The Dark For A Good Harvest? Using modern forensics to solve a Neolithic ritual murder STONE AGE HERBALIST At the Middle Neolithic site of Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux in the central Rhône Valley, one of the most disturbing burials of European prehistory has come to light. The reconstruction of the scene is almost a work of art, relying on the most meticulous and patient observations, and the payoff is immense. The resulting paper covers the evolution of a ritual murder charmlessly dubbed ‘ homicidal ligature strangulation’. 20 cases of this particular death have now been identified, starting in Sicily at the end of the Italian Mesolithic, and concluding around 3,500 BC in the Rhône valley. Using modern forensic techniques, archaeologists are dispelling the idea that the Neolithic was in any way a peaceful time to live, and are unearthing some of the most unsettling rites of Europe’s stone age farmers. Solstices, silos and strangulation Saint-Paul-Troi...