Experts reveal 'ancient massacre'

From the BBC - (actually a story from 2007, but still worth a look).

Bones found at a prehistoric burial site indicate they belonged to victims of an ancient massacre, say scientists.

Remains of 14 people were discovered at Wayland's Smithy, near Uffington White Horse, Oxfordshire, in the 1960s.
Latest techniques date the bones at between 3590 BC and 3560 BC, and have led experts to believe the people may have died in a Neolithic Age massacre.

English Heritage carried out the work with the help of Cardiff University and the University of Central Lancashire.
Michael Wysocki of the University of Central Lancashire says the findings suggest the Neolithic Age was more violent than previously thought. The victims - three of them probably killed by arrows - could have died in a rush for land or livestock, he added.
He said: "We know one person was shot through the lower abdomen because we have found the tiny tip of a flint arrowhead embedded in their pelvic bone.

"We also know that the bodies of two people were scavenged and partially dismembered by dogs or wolves before their remains were buried in the monument.

"All this new evidence suggests that the period between 3625 BC and 3590 BC may have been one of increasing social tension and upheaval."

Full story here.

Neolithic homes opened to public

From the BBC.

Visitors to the Neolithic village of Skara Brae on Orkney will be offered a glimpse inside the ancient homes for the first time on Saturday.

The 5,000-year-old buildings can normally only be viewed from paths around the site, to aid preservation.

The tours, arranged to mark World Heritage Day, will visit the settlement's workshop, main passageway, and three of its ten houses.

Rangers at the site said there had been no public access since the early 1970s.

Elaine Clarke, of the ranger service, said: "This is a rare opportunity to go inside the houses which were built by these early farmers.

"To get close to the fires where they cooked, the beds where they slept and the shelves where they stored their precious items."

She said the chance to view mysterious carvings on the internal walls of the complex would be a highlight of the tour. The meaning of the etchings, comprised of lines and geometric shapes, remains unknown.

Demand for the limited number of tour places available had been overwhelming, she said.

It is hoped the event will help to promote conservation of the historic site.

Full story here.