A 5000-year-old skull shows a man met a violent death, and was possibly the victim of a murder, 3,000 BC

A 5000-year-old skull shows a man met a violent death, and was possibly the victim of a murder, 3,000 BC

Found in Vittrup in Demark in 1915, the remains of this skeleton have been now analyzed for the first time in-depth, and the findings reveal a man who lived in a chaotic and violent time in pre-Europe.

The man was thought to have been in his 30s. He suffered at least 8 fatal blows to his face, and his injuries show no post-attack healing. An analysis of his teeth found isotopes of strontium, carbon, and oxygen and concluded that the man had grown up along the coast of the Scandinavian Peninsula. It is possible that the man had dark skin and blue eyes. His teeth and bones show a change in protein from seafood to farm animals, indicating that he moved inland at some point in his life.

Why the man lost his life is a mystery, however, it is speculated he may have been either murdered or sacrificed, as his body was found in a bog. Some early peoples from Europe appear to have had a ritual of ending someone's life and then burying them in a bog for religious purposes.