Evidence found of ancient love battle
Fights over women have taken place since prehistoric times
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Tuesday, 03, Jun 2008 09:33
While men fighting over women is a common occurrence today, scientists say they have found evidence of prehistoric battles over females that were far more deadly.
After investigating a mass grave of skeletons in Germany, an international team led by researchers at the University of Durham argued that neighbouring tribes from prehistoric times were prepared to brutally kill their male rivals to secure their women.
They claim that genetic evidence from the teeth of 34 skeletons found buried in the village of Talheim in the south-west of Germany suggests they were of people killed in an attack between rival tribes around 5000 BC.
Writing in the journal Antiquity, the researchers said that while there were adult females among the immigrant skeletons, within the local group of skeletons there were men and children only.
They conclude the absence of local females indicates that they were spared execution and captured instead, which may have been the main reason for the attack.
"It seems this community was specifically targeted, as could happen in a cycle of revenge between rival groups," said lead researcher Dr Alex Bentley.
"Although resources and population were undoubtedly factors in central Europe around that time, women appear to be the immediate reason for the attack.
"Our analysis points to the local women being regarded as somehow special and were therefore kept alive."
While there have been many witness accounts of fighting over women in the last hundred years, most archaeological evidence points to violence erupting over resources, overcrowding and property.
Researchers say the archaeological findings from this study strongly suggest for the first time that violence took place over mates as early as prehistoric times.