The original Mafia-style murders: Women in Neolithic Europe were killed by ... trends now
Scientists have uncovered a secret from Europe's grisly history as they reveal a gruesome case of human sacrifice.
Researchers from Paul Sabatier University found that two women buried in an ancient tomb were the victims of a ritual murder more than 5,500 years ago.
The bodies, found in a pit designed to mimic a grain silo, were first uncovered 20 years ago in Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux, France.
Now, fresh analysis reveals that these women had their legs bent behind their backs and tied to their necks in a style of murder often associated with Mafia revenge killings, known as incaprettamento.
This practice may have been believed to ensure good harvests and could have persisted in Europe for as much as 2,000 years.
The central body (1) was buried normally but the other two women (2 and 3) were forced into the overhang of the pit and arranged in unusual contorted positions. It is likely they had their legs bound behind their back and tied to their necks so they strangled themselves
The bodies of three women were found in a Neolithic settlement in modern-day Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux, France
The tomb was one of several sites discovered in the central Rhône Valley, dating back to the Middle Neolithic period between 4250 and 3550 BCE.
The distribution of these sites suggests that they were part of agricultural settlement where people lived and farmed during the stone age.
But in the residential areas, researchers also identified numerous silos and pits which had been dug into the ground.
Some of these were used by the Neolithic people to store their grain, but others appear to have had a ritual function and contained shattered grindstones and sacrificed dogs.
In one pit built to mimic a grain silo, archaeologists uncovered the remains of three women, two of which are believed to have been ritually murdered.
Researchers have uncovered a glimpse into Europe's grisly past as they discover the bodies of two women (pictured) believed to have been killed in a ritual murder
While the central body, a woman around the age of 50, was laid out on its side in a conventional burial fashion, the two other bodies were forced into an overhang.
Their legs were bent into unusual and contorted positions, suggesting that they may have been bound with ropes that have long since decayed.
The two women were also held down with heavy chunks of broken grindstone, pinning them in place so that only the central woman would be
