Bioarchaeological insights into Late Eneolithic violence: Analysing a grave from the Sadowie cemetery, Poland

Abstract

This study examines a grave of the Zlota culture from the Late Eneolithic period (the first half of the 3rd millennium BC), discovered at a cemetery in Sadowie, southeastern Poland. The deliberately constructed grave chamber contained the remains of six individuals of varying sex and age: five males and one female. Evidence of fatal injuries was observed on the skulls of three individuals, while flint arrowheads were embedded in the postcranial skeletons of two others. Interdisciplinary studies were conducted to investigate the biological characteristics of the buried individuals and the circumstances surrounding their deaths. Genetic analyses indicated kinship ties between some of the individuals. Strontium isotope analyses revealed that most of the individuals were local to the Sadowie area, with the exception of one female who was identified as non-local. Stable carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios in bone collagen revealed that the individuals had similar diets, predominantly based on C3 plants, with notable contributions from animal protein, likely derived from herbivorous meat and/or dairy products. The studied burial provides further evidence of prehistoric violence among Late Eneolithic communities.