A ritual murder shaped the Early and Middle Neolithic across Central and Southern Europe

Fiche du document

Auteurs
Date

17 avril 2024

Discipline
Type de document
Périmètre
Langue
Identifiants
Source

HAL SHS (Sciences de l’Homme et de la Société)

Relations

Ce document est lié à :
info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/doi/10.1126/sciadv.adl3374

Collection

Archives ouvertes

Organisation

Centre pour la communication scientifique directe

Licence

info:eu-repo/semantics/OpenAccess

Sujets proches En

Murder, Ritual Ritual murder Blood libel Dorsum

Citer ce document

Bertrand Ludes et al., « A ritual murder shaped the Early and Middle Neolithic across Central and Southern Europe », HAL SHS (Sciences de l’Homme et de la Société), ID : 10.1126/sciadv.adl3374

Métriques

Partage / Export

Résumé En

In the Rhône Valley’s Middle Neolithic gathering site of Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux (France), the positioning of two females within a structure aligned with the solstices is atypical. Their placement (back and prone) under the overhang of a silo in front of a third in a central position suggests a ritualized form of homicidal ligature strangulation. The first occurrence dates back to the Mesolithic, and it is from the Early Neolithic of Central Europe that the practice expands, becoming a sacrificial rite associated with an agricultural context in the Middle Neolithic. Examining 20 cases from 14 sites spanning nearly two millennia from Eastern Europe to Catalonia reveals the evolution of this ritual murder practice.

document thumbnail

Par les mêmes auteurs

Sur les mêmes sujets

Sur les mêmes disciplines