Disclosed the reason for the “epidemic” of mass killings in medieval Europe
Archaeologists from the University of Oxford spoke about the extremely high level of violence in the major cities of medieval Europe. Scientists found injuries on turtles found in English cemeteries and dated to the years 1050-1550 ad. The killings took place due to disputes between the craftsmen, which form the basis of urban population. This publication reports the New Scientist.
The experts reviewed the state 399 skulls. Part of the remains were found in the cemeteries of the monastery, which in the middle ages are mostly buried the wealthy. It turned out that 6.8 percent of the remains had a violent injury, and a quarter of them were incompatible with life.
Often the victims were members of the lower classes. According to scientists, this is due to the fact that the poor people resolved disputes, often resorting to fighting and violence, whereas people used growing richer in those days the legal system.
Analysis of the remains from other cemeteries of the middle Ages showed that the level of violence in other European countries was also high. For example, in Croatia blunt force trauma to the skull had a 12 percent remains. However, murders in London, according to experts, occurred more often than in other cities of England.
Mark coroners of that time indicate that most of the crimes occurred in the night from Sunday to Monday, when men rested in the taverns. So intoxication is another possible cause of violence in the cities.
Experts say that rich people also resorted to violence, taking part in knightly duels. However, they died from other injuries, as their heads were protected by helmets.