Charterhouse Warren: A Dark Chapter in Early Bronze Age Britain
The discovery of human skeletons at Charterhouse Warren in Somerset has uncovered one of the most chilling stories of Early Bronze Age Britain. Among the hundreds of skeletons unearthed from c.2500-1500 cal. BC in Britain, direct evidence of violent conflict is exceptionally rare. However, the remains at this 15-metre-deep shaft tell a strikingly different tale. The bones, belonging to men, women, and children, show clear signs of blunt force trauma, suggesting a brutal and unexpected massacre.
According to Professor Rick Schulting from the University of Oxford,
“Charterhouse Warren stands out as something very unusual. It paints a considerably darker picture of the period than many would have expected.”
His research, published in Antiquity, highlights that the victims were not only violently killed but also butchered, possibly in an act of symbolic cannibalism aimed at dehumanising the deceased.
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Unlike Gough’s Cave in Cheddar Gorge, where cannibalism appears linked to funerary rituals, Charterhouse Warren suggests a much darker purpose. The mixing of human and animal bones indicates that the killers sought to erase the humanity of their victims, likening them to animals. This dramatic act raises questions about the motivations behind such violence, especially given that resource competition and climate change were not likely to be factors at the time.
Interestingly, genetic analysis of two children’s teeth revealed traces of plague, which may have exacerbated tensions within the community.
“The finding of evidence of the plague in previous research by colleagues from The Francis Crick Institute was completely unexpected,”
said Professor Schulting. However, the exact role of disease in the events at Charterhouse Warren remains unclear.
With no evidence of a battle or ethnic conflict, the massacre appears to have been driven by social factors—perhaps theft, revenge, or perceived insults spiralled into violence.
This rare archaeological site sheds new light on Britain’s ancient past, offering up a raw and unsettling glimpse into prehistoric human behaviour.
For more stories uncovering the darker side of history, visit EyeOnLondon.
[Image Credit: Arkeonews and Schulting et al. Antiquity, 2024.]
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