Neolithic Ritual Sacrifices Linked to Agriculture Found Across Europe

New findings reveal that the practice of ritual killing known as 'incaprettamento' was widespread in Neolithic Europe, associated with agricultural rituals.

Archaeological study in Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux uncovers evidence of Neolithic women subjected to ritual sacrifice by 'incaprettamento', a method of self-strangulation.
The practice, dating back to 5400 B.C., was found in various European locations, suggesting a common ritualistic element across Neolithic farming communities.
Researchers link the ritual to agricultural cycles, with evidence of alignment structures and broken grinding stones at burial sites.
Incaprettamento, originally depicted in Mesolithic rock art, shows a continuity of ritual practices from hunter-gatherers to agricultural societies.
The method, historically used for signaling traitors, resurfaces in modern times with the Italian Mafia, highlighting its enduring symbolic power.