In the Massacre of Schletz, more than 200 Neolithic people were killed by blunt force 7,000 years ago (5000 BC), towards the end of the Linear Pottery culture epoch, before being carelessly dumped in a mass grave on the site of the present-day village of Schletz (in the municipality of Asparn an der Zaya in Lower Austria).
The settlement was enclosed by an oval ditch, which was double in sections and can be interpreted as a fortification.
[1] Several earth bridges provided access to the interior of the settlement, where the ground plans of at least 12 longhouses have been traced.
[2] In the course of the excavations, which covered about 20 percent of the site, the skeletons of about 200 individuals were discovered in the outer trench, most of whom died as a result of severe injuries to their skulls caused by blunt force (with shoe-last celts), and in one case also by arrow shot.
The dead - men, women and children - had mostly been laid in prone position, in many examined skeletons arms or legs were missing, also severed skulls were found separately.