A mass grave containing the remains of more than 250 people was discovered by archaeologists at the ancient city of Haft Tappeh, Iran. Scientist are now working to determine how these people perished, and why they were piled haphazardly behind a wall. Were these victims of a deadly epidemic, or a vicious massacre?
According to reports from lead excavator Behzad Mofidi-Nasrabadi, archaeologist from Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz in Germany, the 3,400-year-old remains of several hundred victims were found haphazardly thrown over one another and buried behind one of the ancient outer walls.
Piled Bodies of Men, Women and Children
Mofidi-Nasrabadi says at least 149 individuals have been excavated so far based on the number of skulls. An additional 100 to 150 skeletons are thought to be buried in an unexcavated section of the trench. Some of the remains belong to children.
“The large number of deceased led to the assumption that there took place either a massacre or an epidemic,” notes Mofidi-Nasrabadi. There was no indication of an ordinary burial, and the bodies had simply been amassed at the site, however pottery vessels and date palm kernels found between some of the skeletons, perhaps served as simple grave goods or sustenance for the afterlife.