Brutal Prehistoric Ritual Sacrifices in Neolithic Europe Similar to Italian Mafia's Punishment [Study]

Researchers found evidence of a brutal tradition thousands of years ago for the first time. The prehistoric ritual sacrifice practice involved three women.

Brutal Prehistoric Ritual Sacrifice

In a new study, researchers claimed to have discovered proof of a cruel custom of ritualized human sacrifice that seems to have been carried out in prehistoric times for at least two millennia. The tomb can be found at Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux, located in the Rhône Valley in the south of the country.

The researchers concluded that the women who were sacrificed died between approximately 4000 and 3500 B.C., most likely from "forced positional asphyxia," a type of death that happens when a victim is confined to a posture that prevents them from breathing and from which they are unable to escape.

"This cultural phenomenon could have diversified in Central Europe and structured itself at different rates for almost two millennia before culminating in the late Middle Neolithic," according to the authors.

The remains of the three women were discovered by Bertrand Ludes and associates from the French Research Institute on East Asia (IFRAE), two of whom were found in strange positions.

The oldest of the three, identified as woman 1, was discovered lying on her left side in the center of the burial hole. The other two, Woman 2 and Woman 3, are under an overhang.

Woman 2 was discovered on her back, with a piece of grindstone resting on her skull and her lower limbs bent. The third woman was found lying prone, her neck resting on the second woman's thorax. One of the women's positions even hinted that she might have been buried alive.

The researchers conclude that a ritualized form of asphyxiation killed ladies 2 and 3 based on the arrangement of the bones. This might have utilized a technique called "homicidal ligature strangulation," which entails tying a rope around the victim's ankles and throat while they are prone.

"Self-strangulation becomes inevitable due to the forced position of the legs," according to the researchers. "Currently, this torture, known as incaprettamento, is associated with the Italian Mafia and is sometimes used to punish persons perceived as traitors."

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What Is Incaprettamento?

Another study described incaprettamento as "an unusual homicide by ligature strangulation." The case study involved the murder of a Tunisian national by another Tunisian citizen living in Italy in a tiny town in the country's south.

Incaprettemento is a peculiar form of strangling used in this manner of death. The victim is suffocated by having a rope passed over their wrists, ankles, and throat.

This causes an excruciatingly slow death. It is a technique commonly utilized by organized crime groups in Italy, but it has also been applied to the commission of war crimes.

The purpose of this method of murdering is to exact a ruthless and humiliating retribution on the victim. It could also be an intimidation tactic or a warning to other people.

Despite the lack of research, incaprettamento has significant psychological, anthropological, and cultural ramifications in criminology.

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