Child murder in the Early Bronze Age: proteomic sex identification of a cold case from Schleinbach, Austria

ABSTRACT: The identification of sex-specific peptides in human tooth enamel by nanoflow liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (nanoLC-MS/MS) represents a quantum leap for the study of childhood and social relations more generally. Determining sex-related differences in prehistoric child rearing and mortality has been hampered by the inability to determine the biological sex of juveniles. We conducted nanoLC-MS/MS to identify sex-specific peptides in the dental enamel of a child from a settlement pit of the Early Bronze Age settlement of Schleinbach, Austria (c. 1950–1850 BC). Four perimortal impression fractures on the skull of the 5–6-year-old child indicate an intentional killing, with a co-buried loom weight as possible murder weapon. Proteomic analysis, conducted for the first time on prehistoric teeth in Austria, determined the child’s sex as male. While we cannot conclusively decide whether the child became the victim of conflicts between village groups or was slain by members of his own community, we suggest that contextual evidence points to the latter. A possible trigger of violence were the follow-on effects of an uncontrolled middle ear infection revealed by the osteological analysis. The boy from Schleinbach highlights the potential for further investigation of gender-biased violence, infanticide and child murder based on the recently developed method of proteomic sex identification.

INSTRUMENT(S): Q Exactive

ORGANISM(S): Homo Sapiens (human)

TISSUE(S): Tooth Enamel

SUBMITTER: Christopher Gerner  

LAB HEAD: Christopher Gerner

PROVIDER: PXD018069 | Pride | 2021-06-01

REPOSITORIES: Pride