Ancient Mass Burial Reveals Early Iron Age Conflict

9th-century B.C. burial pit in Gomolava, Serbia, contained 77 individuals.
Remains analyzed at Museum of Vojvodina, Novi Sad, in Nature Human Behaviour.
Clashes between pastoralists and farming communities caused mass killings 2,800 years ago.
Skeletal analysis shows unhealed head injuries, defensive wounds, and projectile trauma.
DNA and isotopes determined sex, ancestry, and childhood origins.
Burial included jewelry, ceramics, and calf offerings, suggesting community-wide monument.
Findings challenge pandemic explanations, highlighting targeted killings of women and children.
Study led by Edinburgh refutes previous theories about early Iron Age Europe.
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