6,000-year-old skeletons in French pit came from victims of violence
Discovery of severed arms, cracked skull adds to debate over Neolithic circular pits
CIRCLE OF DEATH A circular pit excavated in France (left) contains the remains of eight people probably killed in a violent attack around 6,000 years ago. Seven severed left arms lay at the bottom of the pit. A diagram of the pit discoveries denotes bones of each individual in different colors.
F. Chenal et al/Antiquity 2015, © Bertrand Perrin/Antea (photo)