Researchers Find Evidence of 'Mysterious Mass Burial' Stemming from 'Horrible Event'

Archaeologists in Scotland have unearthed evidence of a “mysterious mass burial” dating back to the Bronze Age, which researchers say foretells a “horrible event” in the country’s history (per BBC).

Bronze Age Mass Grave Found in Scotland

The ancient burial mound, known as a Bronze Age barrow, was uncovered near Twentyshilling Wind Farm near Sanquhar in Dumfries and Galloway after excavations which took place throughout 2020 and 2021 by Guard Archaeology. Within were several urns filled with cremated remains of eight individuals, whom scientists estimate were buried there between 1439 and 1287 B.C. Thomas Muir, the archaeologist who led the expedition, said the evidence at the site indicates that a “horrible event” such as famine wiped out a large number of the population at once.

Burials Occurred Between the 15th and 13th Century B.C.

"The five urns in the Twentyshilling Barrow contained at least eight individuals," Muir explained. "The urns were deposited at the same time, as they were packed tightly within the pit and adhered to the same 15th to 13th century B.C. date range." He added that this indicates a mass burial “possibly of the same family or group.”

GUARD Archaeology

GUARD Archaeology

GUARD Archaeology

Bronze Age Was a 'Time of Particular Stress' in Scotland

Other burials in the same area bear evidence of abandonment and famine, which could mean that the Bronze Age was a “time of particular stress” in Scotland. "What is significant about the Twentyshilling remains is that they were cremated and then buried almost immediately," Muir said. This was an unusual practice because there was "quite a tradition" in the Bronze Age of letting bodies sit out for some time after death as a way for family and friends to say their goodbyes. Those graves would be “reopened a few times and reused, so it [was] used by a community over a long period of time…Whereas what we have at Twentyshilling is some sort of horrible event must have happened to the community—possibly famine—and a lot of people have died within a very short period of each other."

The archaeological expedition was carried out as a condition of a new wind farm built on the site, which is now open and operational. However, considering what was found within the burials, Muir and his team are planning further examinations of the area to see what they can uncover. The “mysterious” burials and storage of the remains could illuminate for scientists ancient and still elusive funerary practices of Bronze Age cultures.

from Men's Journal https://ift.tt/s4Ye6bh