Violent Conflict in the Human Record: A Review of the Bioarchaeological Evidence

This review examines the contributions of bioarchaeological research to criminological understandings of violence, focusing on the structural conditions that influence variations in violence across different societies and historical periods. Bioarchaeology offers an expansive temporal and geographical perspective, analyzing skeletal trauma to interpret diverse forms of violence—including warfare, ritual practices, and structural oppression—beyond the conventional criminological focus on crime. Contrary to narratives suggesting a linear decline in violence with the rise of state societies, bioarchaeological findings indicate fluctuating patterns of violence, often linked to the quality and stability of state institutions. Resource scarcity and climate stress are also identified as significant factors influencing violence, paralleling criminological theories that associate violence with poverty, marginalization, and social instability. The review advocates for interdisciplinary collaboration to deepen our understanding of violence as a context-dependent phenomenon shaped by ecological, institutional, and social dynamics.