Violent human death in the past: a case from the Western Cape

The discovery and analysis of two human skeletons from the south-western Cape of South Africa are descriptionbed. Buried together at Melkbosstrand about 2500 years ago, they are people from the period of hunting and gathering known as the Later Stone Age. A juvenile and a middle-aged woman, both show signs of having died from violent blows delivered to their heads. Each skull shows evidence of piercing and slash-type blows. The structure of a gash on the juvenile's skull is consistent with the use of a flaked stone tool. This discovery serves as a reminder that violent death is neither a recent phenomenon nor exclusive to the stresses of modern society.