Iron Age mass grave in Serbia contains mostly women and children
Feb 23rd 2026
Reanalysis of a 9th century BC burial pit at Gomolava found 77 individuals, with over 60 percent children and more than 70 percent female, and forensic and genetic evidence points to an organized massacre linked to a clash between farming and semi-nomadic groups.
- The pit at Gomolava held 77 people dated to the 9th century BC and was reexamined using modern methods.
- More than 60 percent of the remains were children and over 70 percent were female, an unusually skewed demographic for mass graves.
- Researchers used DNA, tooth enamel protein sexing, and bone morphology to determine sex and kinship patterns.
- Trauma patterns, including blows consistent with attacks from horseback, and regional settlement evidence suggest attackers were semi-nomadic herders and victims were semi-sedentary farmers.
- Authors place the event in a broader rise of organized violence after the spread of farming but note there are no written records, so exact motives remain uncertain.