Violence and Warfare in the Nordic Corded Ware Complex: an Interdisciplinary Approach
The News continuously reports acts of violence and warfare, and it seems to be never ending. There are different types of violence; domestic violence, gang related violence, civil wars, and wars between states. Different types of violence affect single individuals differently. There are however patterns of who gets affected, and their interrelatedness. Is this a new phenomenon or has it always been this way? In this project, we investigate how common violence has been within the Nordic Corded Ware complex (c. 2900-2300 BCE), in relation to continental Europe. The purpose is to increase the understanding of how violence and warfare was related to social roles, kinship, and migration. C. 100 individuals from Sweden and Denmark will be included for analysis and compared to c. 600 individuals from Germany. The project is interdisciplinary. Through studies of the skeletal remains together with biochemical analyses of isotopes and ancient DNA, we can answer questions of who was at risk of violence, how these individuals were connected to each other and other groups within the Corded Ware complex, and perhaps get insight in how and why these groups were at conflict. This kind of interdisciplinary approach provides encompassed opportunities for new knowledge about prehistoric warfare, the mechanisms behind violence and warfare, and the importance of violence among groups with a warrior ethos in the dawn of Bronze Age society.
Final report
The purpose of the project was to s to unveil the significance of conflict in the Corded Ware complex of northern Europe. Furthermore, the project aim was to investigate how direct physical violence correlates with sociocultural phenomena such as a warrior ideal, biological kinship, and mobility. Physical violence and conflict strategies were to be studied through osteological analyses of human remains associated with the Nordic branches of the Corded Ware complex in Sweden (Battle Axe Culture/BAC) and Denmark (Single Grave Culture/SGC). Archaeological data on burials, weaponry and possible defence structures, together with biomolecular analyses were integrated in the analysis to gain deeper understanding of how physical violence correlate with warfare and social practices.
Differences in material culture between the BAC and the SGC led us to explore violence also in Corded Ware groups in Germany, Bohemia, and Poland. We based our comparative study on published data from Germany and new osteological analyses of trauma from human remains in Bohemia and Poland. The lack of traditional Corded Ware graves in eastern Denmark also led us to include osteological and biomolecular analyses of human remains also from Neolithic megalithic graves from Zealand. Since also Scanian passage graves includes a relatively large quantity of BAC artifacts, we also included human remains from three megaliths from this area. To be able to separate Corded Ware period individuals from earlier and later remains, we applied a large number of radiocarbon dates of human remains.
Initially, the project was somewhat affected by the Covid pandemic as we had limited access to museum repositories. We divided the research activities between the project members; Tornberg was responsible for osteological and biomolecular analyses while Vandkilde focused on archaeological analyses. Tornberg conducted osteological analyses at the Historical Museum at Lund University, Malmö Museum, Moesgaard Museum, Aarhus, and the Panum Institute in Copenhagen. With assistance from Vandkilde, Tornberg also conducted osteological analyses at the Charles University in Prague, Czechia in 2022, and in different museums in Krakow, Poznan, and Wroclaw in Poland in 2023. Biomolecular analysis of ancient DNA (aDNA) was performed through the SciLife laboratory in Uppsala and high-resolution and spatially resolved laser ablation strontium isotope analyses was conducted at the Vega centre at the Natural History Museum in Stockholm. Radiocarbon dates were conducted at the geological department at Lund University.
A total of 135 radiocarbon dates and 75 laser ablation strontium isotope analyses were included in the project. The mobility study is currently the largest one in Scandinavia, based on laser ablation strontium analysis. We conducted archaeogenetic screening on 31 individuals from Scania, 22 individuals from traditional flat burials and nine from passage graves. The aim was to gain information about the genetic sex and an overall idea about genetic ancestry, but even more so to unveil possible biological kinship between individuals buried together, in the same cemetery and/or in relation to archaeologically recognized high status graves. Unfortunately, the genetic material proved to be of poor quality which is why our results are limited. We gained chromosomal sex identification in 29 individuals and haplotype information in seven individuals. The best-preserved genetic material (six individuals) was analyzed for biological kinship, which could not be assessed.
The project members have continuously discussed the project and the results through online work meetings, and joint research visits. Tornberg has under shorter periods had a lowered level of activity in the project than anticipated and Vandkilde has for shorter periods transferred database work to assistants due to a high workload in other projects.
Although we could not find biological kinship associated with a warrior elite, the project has still gained substantial new data and knowledge about violence in the Nordic Corded Ware complex:
1.) We have been able to unveil Corded Ware demography through burial data analyses of almost 1 000 graves as well as statistical modelling of age at deaths retrieved from osteological analysis. We found a substantial male sex bias in the grave data, especially in the earlier periods. In the first horizon of the Nordic Corded Ware complex, all graves showed male attributes while female and child burials became more and more abundant throughout the period. The statistical modelling supported a high mortality risk in adolescence and young adulthood while infant mortality was relatively low. This type of demography is associated with societies with moderate mobility and relatively high levels of lethal infections, but even more so with societies frequently enrolled in violence. The study however also show that some individuals could also survive into advanced senescence above 80 years.
2.) High mobility levels could also be concluded upon through our spatially resolved strontium data. Laser ablation strontium analysis can detect variation in the strontium values throughout the time of tooth enamel mineralization. The analysis can thus also identify mobility over shorter distances. Our results support that Corded Ware individuals have significantly higher variation in strontium isotopes compared to previous and later periods. The Corde Ware mobility primarily seems to be over shorter distances of 30-50 km. Ethnographic studies supports that this is a common distance for pastoral territories. It is possible that these territories were distinct and that crossing these boarders could be associated with violent encounters.
3.) That the Corded Ware society was violent is also evident from the high levels of violence related injuries in human remains. We conclude that c. 20% of the studied individuals evidenced violence. In comparison, frequencies in earlier and later periods fluctuate between 5-15%, but frequently positions around 10%. We could also conclude that the frequency among contemporaneous individuals inhumed in Zealandic passage graves was over 50%. Some of these individuals seems to have been buried in a single event. Most individuals suffering from violence are males and have survived their injuries. Similar to Neolithic mass graves in continental Europe, the individuals that seems to have been buried in a single event in higher degrees suffer from deadly violence and are of both sexes and all ages. It is plausible that these individuals were affected by a deadly raid or equivalent. Levels of violence are lower in both Bohemia and Poland than in Scandinavia from this time.
The parametres studied within this project all points to a volatile society with high mobility and high proportions of violence. Furthermore, all parametres also support that the Corded Ware society is different than previous and later periods which might be associated with the violence connotations in burials put forward by previous research.
Our data is currently not precise enough to distinguish if there are biocultural differences between contemporaneous individuals buried in typologically traditional flat burials and in earlier megaliths. The high levels of violence in east Danish megaliths might point towards that these individuals were of other biocultural or sociocultural background and if the differences in the frequency of violence can reflect specific structures of violence in Corded Ware society. Continued biomolecular and osteological analyses might in the future provide better data to clarify what defines differences in burial practices.
The project members have communicated the research findings through research seminars at the Department of Archaeology and Ancient History at Lund University, three international conferences (Vilnius 2022, Budapest and Rome 2024), an international workhop (Lyon 2023) and through a project site on Facebook. One scientific article has been published in the highly ranked journal Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences, and one article is currently under review in the same journal. We are currently also finalizing one article to be submitted to Nature Human Behaviour in 2025. The project has also included collaboration with researchers in Copenhagen and Stockholm (co-authorship on paper two), Czechia, and Poland.
Differences in material culture between the BAC and the SGC led us to explore violence also in Corded Ware groups in Germany, Bohemia, and Poland. We based our comparative study on published data from Germany and new osteological analyses of trauma from human remains in Bohemia and Poland. The lack of traditional Corded Ware graves in eastern Denmark also led us to include osteological and biomolecular analyses of human remains also from Neolithic megalithic graves from Zealand. Since also Scanian passage graves includes a relatively large quantity of BAC artifacts, we also included human remains from three megaliths from this area. To be able to separate Corded Ware period individuals from earlier and later remains, we applied a large number of radiocarbon dates of human remains.
Initially, the project was somewhat affected by the Covid pandemic as we had limited access to museum repositories. We divided the research activities between the project members; Tornberg was responsible for osteological and biomolecular analyses while Vandkilde focused on archaeological analyses. Tornberg conducted osteological analyses at the Historical Museum at Lund University, Malmö Museum, Moesgaard Museum, Aarhus, and the Panum Institute in Copenhagen. With assistance from Vandkilde, Tornberg also conducted osteological analyses at the Charles University in Prague, Czechia in 2022, and in different museums in Krakow, Poznan, and Wroclaw in Poland in 2023. Biomolecular analysis of ancient DNA (aDNA) was performed through the SciLife laboratory in Uppsala and high-resolution and spatially resolved laser ablation strontium isotope analyses was conducted at the Vega centre at the Natural History Museum in Stockholm. Radiocarbon dates were conducted at the geological department at Lund University.
A total of 135 radiocarbon dates and 75 laser ablation strontium isotope analyses were included in the project. The mobility study is currently the largest one in Scandinavia, based on laser ablation strontium analysis. We conducted archaeogenetic screening on 31 individuals from Scania, 22 individuals from traditional flat burials and nine from passage graves. The aim was to gain information about the genetic sex and an overall idea about genetic ancestry, but even more so to unveil possible biological kinship between individuals buried together, in the same cemetery and/or in relation to archaeologically recognized high status graves. Unfortunately, the genetic material proved to be of poor quality which is why our results are limited. We gained chromosomal sex identification in 29 individuals and haplotype information in seven individuals. The best-preserved genetic material (six individuals) was analyzed for biological kinship, which could not be assessed.
The project members have continuously discussed the project and the results through online work meetings, and joint research visits. Tornberg has under shorter periods had a lowered level of activity in the project than anticipated and Vandkilde has for shorter periods transferred database work to assistants due to a high workload in other projects.
Although we could not find biological kinship associated with a warrior elite, the project has still gained substantial new data and knowledge about violence in the Nordic Corded Ware complex:
1.) We have been able to unveil Corded Ware demography through burial data analyses of almost 1 000 graves as well as statistical modelling of age at deaths retrieved from osteological analysis. We found a substantial male sex bias in the grave data, especially in the earlier periods. In the first horizon of the Nordic Corded Ware complex, all graves showed male attributes while female and child burials became more and more abundant throughout the period. The statistical modelling supported a high mortality risk in adolescence and young adulthood while infant mortality was relatively low. This type of demography is associated with societies with moderate mobility and relatively high levels of lethal infections, but even more so with societies frequently enrolled in violence. The study however also show that some individuals could also survive into advanced senescence above 80 years.
2.) High mobility levels could also be concluded upon through our spatially resolved strontium data. Laser ablation strontium analysis can detect variation in the strontium values throughout the time of tooth enamel mineralization. The analysis can thus also identify mobility over shorter distances. Our results support that Corded Ware individuals have significantly higher variation in strontium isotopes compared to previous and later periods. The Corde Ware mobility primarily seems to be over shorter distances of 30-50 km. Ethnographic studies supports that this is a common distance for pastoral territories. It is possible that these territories were distinct and that crossing these boarders could be associated with violent encounters.
3.) That the Corded Ware society was violent is also evident from the high levels of violence related injuries in human remains. We conclude that c. 20% of the studied individuals evidenced violence. In comparison, frequencies in earlier and later periods fluctuate between 5-15%, but frequently positions around 10%. We could also conclude that the frequency among contemporaneous individuals inhumed in Zealandic passage graves was over 50%. Some of these individuals seems to have been buried in a single event. Most individuals suffering from violence are males and have survived their injuries. Similar to Neolithic mass graves in continental Europe, the individuals that seems to have been buried in a single event in higher degrees suffer from deadly violence and are of both sexes and all ages. It is plausible that these individuals were affected by a deadly raid or equivalent. Levels of violence are lower in both Bohemia and Poland than in Scandinavia from this time.
The parametres studied within this project all points to a volatile society with high mobility and high proportions of violence. Furthermore, all parametres also support that the Corded Ware society is different than previous and later periods which might be associated with the violence connotations in burials put forward by previous research.
Our data is currently not precise enough to distinguish if there are biocultural differences between contemporaneous individuals buried in typologically traditional flat burials and in earlier megaliths. The high levels of violence in east Danish megaliths might point towards that these individuals were of other biocultural or sociocultural background and if the differences in the frequency of violence can reflect specific structures of violence in Corded Ware society. Continued biomolecular and osteological analyses might in the future provide better data to clarify what defines differences in burial practices.
The project members have communicated the research findings through research seminars at the Department of Archaeology and Ancient History at Lund University, three international conferences (Vilnius 2022, Budapest and Rome 2024), an international workhop (Lyon 2023) and through a project site on Facebook. One scientific article has been published in the highly ranked journal Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences, and one article is currently under review in the same journal. We are currently also finalizing one article to be submitted to Nature Human Behaviour in 2025. The project has also included collaboration with researchers in Copenhagen and Stockholm (co-authorship on paper two), Czechia, and Poland.