Mystery over 8,000-year-old severed skulls found on spikes at the bottom of a Swedish swamp
The grisly discovery - which could be straight out of Game of Thrones - has challenged scholars' thinking on how hunter-gatherers treated their dead
SHOCKED rail workers have found 8,000-year-old battle-scarred human heads impaled on spikes at the bottom of a Swedish swamp.
They were knocking down an old bridge which spanned the Motala Ström River when they found the skulls in the swampy lake.
The grisly discovery - which could be straight out of Game of Thrones - has now challenged scholars' thinking on how hunter-gatherers treated their dead.
The horror remains - nine adults and one infant - were placed on top of a pile of stones surrounded by the bones of wild boars and bears.
All of the adult skulls showed various signs of battle injuries that differed depending on the sex of the corpse.
Two skulls belonging to females showed multiple instances of trauma to the back of the head, reports National Geographic.
While four male skulls had marks of trauma on the top of the head. Amazingly, one of the skulls still had some brain residue clinging to the inside.
The head injuries were "probably the result of interpersonal violence", researchers concluded.
It's believed they were members of the same community who had fought brutal wars and survived.
One possible explanation for the varying injuries is that women occupied different positions from men while fighting.
However, it is not thought the heads were cut off in battle or placed on spikes to scare away the enemy.
Instead, experts say it's more likely they were decapitated as part of an elaborate funeral practice.
One of the skulls had a foot-and-a-half long wooden spike sticking out off it and another skull was on a spike.
The startling find has shocked historians as Mesolithic societies had previously been known to respect the bodies of the dead.
DNA tests on the bones revealed the ancient tribe had a diet high in protein, mostly from fish.
Remains suggest they were fisher-gatherers, eating aquatic animals, nuts, and berries.
They probably lived in settlements seasonally, setting up semi-permanent homes where they returned every year.