5,000-year-old mass grave of fallen warriors in Spain shows evidence of 'sophisticated' warfare

A view of the eastern corner of the Neolithic burial deposit from San Juan ante Portam Latinam in Spain before researchers excavated it. (Image credit: J.I. Vegas.; (CC-BY 4.0))

Over 5,000 years ago, men, women and children with head trauma and arrow wounds were buried in a mass grave in Spain. Now, archaeologists have teased apart this tangled web of skeletons, revealing new evidence of ancient warfare, a new study finds.

The San Juan ante Portam Latinam (SJAPL) rock shelter, located in the town of Laguardia in northern Spain, was first excavated in 1991. More than 300 skeletons, radiocarbon-dated to 3380 to 3000 B.C., were found in one mass burial, many of them interwoven and in odd positions. Excavators also discovered dozens of flint arrowheads and blades, along with stone axes and personal ornaments.