The Atacama Desert in Chile was a cradle of extreme violence 3,000 years ago, and it is estimated that one in ten historical inhabitants was killed to death.
A research team, led by experts from the University of Tarapacá in Chile, has analyzed the remains of about 200 people and found that horticulturists were routinely beaten during a period of social and ecological upheavals.
Of the 194 skeletons studied, 40 of them “presented traumas compatible with interpersonal violence, regardless of the degree of completeness of the bodies.”
Twenty-six percent of men (27 of 105) had evidence of trauma, while 15 percent of women (13 of each) had evidence of trauma.
Ten percent of the skeletons had perimortem trauma (at or near the time of death), which may show different fracture patterns than postmortem trauma.
Some of the attacks on horticulturists, which are believed to have been carried out using maces, were so violent that their brain matter was forcibly removed from their bodies.
3,000 years ago, the Atacama Desert 3,000 years ago was a brutal place, as the first horticulturists were brutally murdered, says a new stallion
“Some individuals presented with severe high-impact fractures of the skull that caused massive destruction of the face and neurocranium, with craniofacial disjunction and brain mass output,” the researchers added.
“These individuals also presented multiple blows to the postcrania, including the upper extremities, chest, pelvis, and legs.”
Researchers suggest it is unclear why the violence occurred, but it may have originated in limited resources and living spaces in the Atacama Desert.
In Atacama there are also ancient geoglyphs depicting llamas, lizards and fish, which are found northeast of the desert and are believed to be about 2,500 years old.
Crops, including corn, fish, potatoes, copper, turquoise, and cotton, moved across the desert, moving from coastal lowlands to mountains, near geoglyphs. mentioned by which Atacama is famous.
It is unclear, however, whether geoglyphs have any link to well-preserved human remains.
DailyMail.com has contacted researchers for more information.
Due to the heat and dryness of the desert, the skeletons are well preserved, and some contain “preserved soft tissues,” the authors said.
The Atacama Desert is the driest non-polar desert on Earth, with virtually few organisms living there.
“The results suggested that violence existed between local groups and that social and ecological constraints were likely to trigger violence in local communities,” the authors wrote in the study summary.
The study has been published in the Journal of Anthropological Archeology.
Experts examined the remains of 194 people and found that they were routinely beaten at a time of social and ecological upheavals.
It is likely that the attackers used a mace to reign in the skull of the horticulturists, although no evidence of the weapon has yet been discovered at any of the sites.
Three years ago, researchers found the remains of an ancient ceremonial site in the Atacama Desert.
It is estimated that the site, called Tulan-52, thrived in the largest salt marsh in the desert from 1110-900 BC to 550-360 BC.
Of the 194 studies on skeletons, 40 of them “presented traumas compatible with interpersonal violence, regardless of the degree of completeness of the bodies.”
Researchers say life in the Atacama Desert villages was probably influenced by various social groups competing for resources, land and water.
With agriculture “dramatically restricted” and confined to terraces of valleys, ravines, and oases, which were separated by vast arid regions, it was likely to be a ripe area for tension between different groups.
“This new sociocultural framework and land use could have triggered social tensions, conflicts and violence between groups investing in a horticultural lifestyle,” the researchers wrote, led by first author Vivien Standen.
The Atacama Desert is the driest non-polar desert on Earth, with virtually few organisms currently living there.
Due to the heat and dryness of the Atacama Desert (above), the skeletons are well preserved, with some containing “preserved soft tissues.”
Some of the attacks on horticulturists were so violent that their brain matter was removed by the force of their bodies.
Several individuals with an ass trauma in a mass grave. Twenty-six percent of men (27 of 105) had trauma tests, while 15 percent of women (13 of each) had trauma tests.
These factors could have triggered competition, tensions, and violent conflicts between competing neighboring social groups in the Azapa Valley during the formative period, as was seen during the Neolithic elsewhere.
“Furthermore, in this new economic mode based on land use and horticultural production, emerging leaders may have tried to have a greater reach of power and prestige by trying to control productive spaces, creating social inequalities under stressful conditions.”