Grisly Women Sacrifice Practise - What France Evacuations Unveil

Archaeological discoveries are constantly rewriting our understanding of the past. Recent excavations in France have unearthed a chilling truth – ritualized woman sacrifice was far more widespread across Europe during the Neolithic period (c. 7000 – 2,500 BCE) than previously believed. This grim aspect of ancient societies forces us to confront the darker side of human history.

The unsettling evidence comes from the Rhone Valley in southern France. Here, near Avignon, archaeologists meticulously examined the skeletal remains of women found in a tomb dating back to 4000-3500 BCE. These remains paint a disturbing picture. Many of the women were subjected to horrific acts, including burial alive, strangulation, and binding – acts that point undeniably towards ritualistic sacrifice.

Method Of Sacrifice Of Women

The method employed was particularly brutal. Known as "incaprettamento," it involved binding the victim's neck to their legs behind their back, leading to self-strangulation. This chilling practice appears to have been prevalent during the late Middle Neolithic period, spreading across Central Europe for nearly 2,000 years.

The positioning of the bodies offers further clues. They were not haphazardly thrown into the tomb. Instead, fragments of grindstones were found entwined with the remains, suggesting a deliberate and forceful placement within the burial context. This meticulous arrangement reinforces the ritualistic nature of their deaths.

Historical Significance

Dr Eric Crubezy, a senior author of the research, points towards a potential link between these sacrifices and agricultural rites. The Neolithic period witnessed a shift from a hunter-gatherer lifestyle to one based on farming. Crubezy theorizes that these sacrifices may have been seen as a way to appease the deities believed to control the fertility of the land, ensuring successful harvests and the continued prosperity of the community.

The evidence unearthed in France is not an isolated case. Across Europe, researchers have identified 20 probable cases of incaprettamento across 14 different Neolithic sites dating from 5400 to 3500 BCE. Furthermore, ancient rock art discovered in the Addaura Cave in Sicily depicts scenes strikingly similar to the incaprettamento method.

Understanding these practices allows us to gain a nuanced perspective on these ancient societies. While often depicted as idyllic agrarian communities, these Neolithic societies engaged in acts of extreme violence. This discovery forces us to confront the complexities of human history, where advancement and innovation coexisted with barbarity and ritualistic bloodshed.

While the exact motivations behind these sacrifices remain shrouded in the mists of time, the research holds tremendous significance for archaeologists and anthropologists. By piecing together these fragments of the past, we can begin to understand the beliefs and practices that shaped the lives of our ancestors, offering a more complete picture of the human experience across the ages.

However, this knowledge also raises unsettling questions. Was woman sacrifice an anomaly or a more ingrained part of these cultures? What drove these societies to such violence? Further research is necessary to unravel these mysteries and shed light on this grim chapter of human history.