In order to study the issues of violence in prehistoric human societies, scientists have previously mainly investigated
Specialists using 3D computed tomography studied two mummies from pre-Columbian South America, which have been kept in European museums since the 19th century.
One of the mummies is in Marburg, Germany.These are the remains of a man about 1.72 meters tall, he lived in a fishing community in the territory of modern Peru and died at the age of 20-25 years - between 996 and 1147 AD.
Apparently, at least two people attacked the man. One of them hit the victim hard on the head, and the second struck him in the back when the man was already on his knees. After that, the man was stabbed to death.
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Two other mummies are in Delemont, Switzerland. This is a man and a woman who lived in the west of modern Peru. The woman lived between 1224 and 1282 AD, and the man between 902 and 994.
Analysis of the remains of the man revealed a massive injurycervical spine, which most likely caused death. Serious injuries were also found on the skeleton of a woman, but scientists suggest that they arose already during the burial, and the woman herself died of natural causes.