During this year’s excavation in Vráble, Slovakia, archaeologists from the Collaborative Research Center (CRC) 1266 of Kiel University and the Archaeological Institute of the Slovak Academy of Sciences made a remarkable discovery. They uncovered the remains of 38 individuals in a ditch surrounding the settlement. The skeletons, dating back to between 5,250 and 4,950 BCE and associated with the Linear Pottery Culture (LBK), were unusually well-preserved but all were missing their heads, except for one young child.

This find raises significant questions about how, when, and why these people’s heads were removed, which will be central to future investigations. The discovery follows a previous excavation where headless skeletons were also found, but the scale of this find exceeded expectations, according to project leader Prof. Dr. Martin Furholt.

Vráble-Ve’lke Lehemby, where the excavation took place, was one of the largest settlement sites of the Early Neolithic in Central Europe. Geomagnetic measurements have revealed the presence of up to 80 contemporaneously inhabited houses in this area, making it a densely populated site for its time. The settlement was delineated by a 1.3 km-long double ditch, with some sections fortified by palisades, though these were likely symbolic markers rather than defensive structures.

The positioning of the skeletons—found piled on top of each other, in various orientations such as stretched out, crouched, or splayed—suggests that the deceased were not carefully buried, but rather may have been disposed of by being thrown or rolled into the ditch. This discovery provides valuable insights into burial practices and societal dynamics during the Neolithic period in Central Europe.