An analysis of seven 2,500-year-old skulls uncovered at the Iron Age settlements of Ullastret and Puig Castellar in northern Spain revealed that the majority of them belonged to people who weren’t local to the area, suggesting they may have been prisoners of war.
Carquinyol / FlickrThe ruins of Puig Castellar , the Iron Age settlement in Barcelona where investigator find human skulls from prisoners of warfare .
For more than a 100 , archaeologists have been find decapitated human skull at Iron Age sites in Spain . Many of these skulls were once smash to rampart in both public areas and domestic setting , pull up stakes research worker baffled about their determination . Were they gruesome trophies of war or relics meant to honour important appendage of society ?
Recently , a team of scientists set out to serve this interrogation by analyze skull from the Iron Age settlements of Puig Castellar and Ullastret . Their findings suggest that both possibilities may be rightful , offering a entrancing coup d’oeil into the mysterious social fabric of ancient Iberia .
Carquinyol/FlickrThe ruins of Puig Castellar, the Iron Age settlement in Barcelona where researchers found human skulls from prisoners of war.
Examining The Ancient Decapitated Skulls In Catalonia
In the sixth century B.C.E. , Iberian beau monde start interacting more with other Mediterranean civilisation , lead to the establishment of new village along swap road — and increase violence with outsiders .
Two of these settlements , Puig Castellar in Barcelona and Ullastret in Girona , have since uncover a macabre trueness about the Iron Age people who lived there : They often breeze through severed heads to wall for public display .
Rubén de la Fuente - Seoane et . al./Journal of Archaeological ScienceMaps of Ullastret and Puig Castellar .
Rubén de la Fuente-Seoane et. al./Journal of Archaeological ScienceMaps of Ullastret and Puig Castellar.
Many scientists initially hypothesise that these skull had go to well-thought-of community members and were put on display for devotion aim . However , a recent work published in theJournal of Archaeological Sciencefound that may not have always been the case .
Researchers recently take a airless look at seven skulls from Puig Castellar and Ullastret in an effort to find out more about the severed heads . They discovered that four of the skull had belonged to masses who did not live locally , suggest they were war prisoners or get the better of foeman — and their heads were expose as a show of power , not respectfulness .
Why Did Ancient Iberians Display Skulls?
To analyze the skulls from Puig Castellar and Ullastret , scientists channel bioarchaeological analysis to determine their geographical origins . They also compared their findings with the isotope of local plant and animals .
Of the four skull from Puig Castellar that were studied , only one was from a local , while the other three belonged to foreigner . Because these severed head were see in high - dealings areas , the research squad theorized they belong to enemies .
patrimoni.gencat/FlickrAn aery view of Puig Castellar .
patrimoni.gencat/FlickrAn aerial view of Puig Castellar.
“ The individuals from Puig Castellar were all found in an sphere of great public expo , such as the settlement ’s entering logic gate , ” the study ’s authors wrote . “ We do not know if they were nailed to the paries or in some other area of the entrance , although the assumption that they were placed in the wall has lead to understand these skull as trophies of warfare . ”
Scientists also studied three skulls from Ullastret , determining that two of them belonged to topical anaesthetic . Both of these decollate head were unearthed in domesticated structures , such as homes or private quarter . Because of this , the team believes they were from significant community members rather than war prisoner .
“ The exposed remains would be of import dweller of the settlement , ” the researchers wrote , “ mayhap venerate or vindicated by social club , perhaps associate with family group or rival camarilla contend for top executive . In addition , the context in which these remains were find are translate as domestic units or dwelling house . ”
AlbertRA/Wikimedia CommonsSkulls from Puig Castellar dating back to 300 B.C.E.
AlbertRA / Wikimedia CommonsSkulls from Puig Castellar go out back to 300 B.C.E.
The third Ullastret skull was also link up to a foreigner . It was found in a burial stone , which “ could line up with the hypothesis that the heads of ‘ enemies ’ were wreak as a prize , and store in boxes or Hell , a practice documented among the Gauls of southern France . ”
Lastly , the enquiry squad find that the decapitated prisoners of warfare were not select randomly : “ These severed head reveal a homogenous trend in condition of sexuality , as all are male ; however , the mobility and depositional patterns suggest great diversity , involve social or cultural differences among individuals from these two Iron Age community . ”
These finding put up fascinating insight into warfare , violence , and trade in pre - Roman Iberian societies — cultures that rest largely shroud in mystery .
After reading about the young analysis of Iron Age skull get in Spain , dive into44 disturbing photosof spirit as a prisoner inside a Soviet gulag . Then , view30 torturesome imagesof prisoners of warfare throughout history .
