Some archaeologists propose head hunting as a possible Neolithic cultural practice. Treatment of the dead varied dramatically across LBK sites, with no single pattern dominating. Herxheim shows deliberate bone fragmentation (possibly cannibalism, though disputed). The variety hints at complex ancestor practices, perhaps distributing body parts ritually across landscapes.
Head hunting and ancestor fragmentation as alternative interpretations
GermanyTheory
Key facts
- Head hunting has been proposed by some archaeologists as a possible cultural practice
- Treatment of the dead varies significantly across LBK sites, suggesting no single homogeneous cultural practice
- Some LBK sites show evidence of head curation while others show opposite pattern
- Herxheim shows deliberate fragmentation of bodies with few whole skeletons, possibly indicating cannibalism but later disputed
- Possible that ancestor fragments were distributed to different locations for ritual purposes
- Headless formal burials at some sites suggest removal of heads was not inherently disrespectful
Site mentioned
Sources
Contested signs of mass cannibalismsciencenews.org
Herxheim offers rare evidence of cannibalism during Europe's early Neolithic period, when farming first spread, the researchers report in the ...
mass-cannibalism-in-the-linear-pottery-culture-at-herxheim ...cambridge.org
by B Boulestin · 2009 · Cited by 215 — The number of people concerned at Herxheim obviously suggests that cannibalism for the simple purpose of survival is highly improbable, all the more so as the…
German Lang. Media: Cannibalism in Stone Age Germanyksj.mit.edu
Media: Cannibalism in Stone Age Germany. Herxheim is a tiny town in the Southwest of Germany, between Mannheim and Karlsruhe. Fourteen years ago it ...
Herxheim (archaeological site)en.wikipedia.org
The number of people concerned at Herxheim obviously suggests that cannibalism for the simple purpose of survival is highly improbable, all the more so as ...
7 Violence against the living, violence against the dead on the ...academic.oup.com
Violence on the Living, Violence on the Dead: Mass Cannibalism at Herxheim? ... This chapter presents research on the controversial Late LBK enclosure at Herxheim ...
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