The LBK Enclosure at Herxheim: Theatre of War or Ritual Centre? References from Osteoarchaeological Investigations

Numerous highly fragmented bones and some partial skeletons characterise the human skeletal remains at the Early Neolithic Linear Pottery Culture (LBK) enclosure of Herxheim, near Landau, Rhineland-Palatinate. The predominant portion of the archaeological and osteological finds had been deposited within apparent ditches, and these finds and the possible circumstances of their deposition led to the preliminary assumption that they were the result of a warlike conflict. First doubts were raised by the very large total number of at least 450 individuals. Moreover, the evidence that those skull injuries caused by strong blows had all completely healed, that intentional manipulation of the skulls, cut-marks and fragmentation of the postcranial skeleton were consistent among the finds, and that the human remains were laid down in depots, all suggest a recurring ritual act rather than a single warlike incident. Therefore, the hypothesis of a wartime event at Herxheim should be dismissed.