Cut marks on a foot bone from El Mirador cave in Spain
IPHES-CERCA
Recent findings of butchered human remains in a cave in northern Spain have shed light on a gruesome practice that suggests Neolithic people may have resorted to cannibalism after engaging in combat with their enemies.
Francesc Marginedas, a researcher at the Catalan Institute of Human Paleoecology and Social Evolution (IPHES) in Tarragona, Spain, along with his team, meticulously examined 650 fragments of human bones belonging to 11 individuals discovered in El Mirador cave in the Atapuerca mountains. These remains, dating back 5700 years, exhibited clear signs of being consumed by other humans. From chop marks indicating skinning with stone tools to bones showing signs of being boiled and others displaying human teeth marks, the evidence pointed towards a disturbing case of cannibalism.
This discovery adds to the growing body of evidence suggesting that cannibalism was not uncommon in human history. El Mirador cave now joins a list of at least five sites in Spain from the Neolithic period where cannibalistic practices have been identified, challenging previous perceptions of the prevalence of such behavior.
The absence of signs of nutritional stress and the presence of abundant animal remains at the site led Marginedas and his team to conclude that the cannibalism was likely a result of warfare rather than a response to famine. The age range of the individuals, spanning from under 7 to over 50 years old, hints at a tragic scenario where an entire family may have been wiped out in a conflict that escalated to the gruesome act of cannibalism. Radiocarbon dating of the remains suggested that all 11 individuals were killed and consumed within a short span of time, indicating a swift and brutal event.
Similar patterns of conflict and cannibalism have been observed at other Neolithic sites in Europe, painting a picture of a period marked by instability and violence as communities clashed over territory and resources. The act of consuming the flesh of adversaries, as seen in these archaeological findings, may have served as a form of ultimate humiliation and domination, according to Marginedas.
Experts like Paul Pettitt from Durham University and Silvia Bello from the Natural History Museum in London offer differing perspectives on the motivations behind the cannibalism observed at El Mirador. While some view it as a ceremonial or ritualistic practice linked to warfare, others see it as a brutal act driven by aggression and a desire for dominance.
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