Archaeologists working at the Neolithic settlement of Vráble-Veľké Lehemby in Slovakia have uncovered an unusual burial pattern: at least 77 skeletons, many without skulls, placed in a ditch near the village entrance. The find initially suggested a violent episode, but the research team says the evidence points in a different direction.
Careful removal, not blunt force
The settlement belonged to the Linear Pottery culture, one of the earliest farming communities in Central Europe. Between about 5250 and 4950 BCE, the site grew into a large village with more than 300 houses across three neighborhoods. A long double ditch separated one area from the others, and the human remains were found inside this enclosure.
By 2024, the excavation had revealed a dense deposit of bodies, including one complete child skeleton. The remains were found in varied positions, with some limbs folded or overlapping, and only limited objects nearby: pottery fragments, flint and obsidian tools, a bone needle, stone pieces, an axe head, and perforated teeth.
According to Dr. Katharina Fuchs of Kiel University, the bones show signs of intentional handling rather than blunt trauma. Cut marks on neck vertebrae suggest the heads were removed with sharp tools, while the alignment of many neck bones and the preservation of hands and feet indicate the bodies were placed before decomposition was advanced.
The researchers believe the ditch may have served as a setting for repeated burial practices rather than a single event. Similar skull-related rituals are known from other Neolithic communities, including cases where skulls were removed and treated separately. In Vráble, however, the missing skulls have not yet been found elsewhere, leaving the full meaning of the practice open to interpretation.
Future DNA, isotope, and forensic analysis may help determine whether these individuals were local residents, relatives, or people with a special role in the community. The study was published in Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society.
This discovery could deepen our understanding of how early farming societies expressed identity, memory, and ritual through burial traditions, offering new clues about the social world of prehistoric Europe.