Human bones discovered in a cave in Poland have revealed that ancient European groups practiced cannibalism of the dead in an act of war. A new analysis of the cut marks and fractures on the bones suggests that people removed the ears and extracted the brains of defeated enemies immediately after death.
In a study published Thursday (February 6) in the journal Scientific Reports, researchers detailed evidence of cannibalism they found in 53 bones from Maszycka Cave, an archaeological site near Krakow in Poland. The bones date back 18,000 years, during the Magdalenian period of European prehistory, and belonged to at least 10 individuals: six adults and four children.
Using advanced 3D microscopy techniques, the researchers identified cut marks and fractures on 68% of the bones and were able to rule out carnivorous animals and accidental trampling as the causes of the injuries.
Examining two dozen skull fragments, the researchers identified cuts made by removing the scalp, skin, and ears and jaw. Furthermore, fractures along the skull’s edges suggested that people were breaking the skull bones specifically to extract the brain. Other evidence of butchery could be seen in the shoulder, arm and leg bones.
“The location and frequency of cut marks and deliberate bone breakage clearly indicate the nutritional exploitation of the bodies,” said Francesc Marginedas, the study’s lead author and a doctoral student at the Catalan Institute of Human Paleoecology and Social Evolution (IPHES), in a translated statement.
The high percentage of bones that were manipulated after death strongly suggests that this was cannibalistic behavior, the researchers write in the study, as people prepared and extracted the edible parts of the bones. Furthermore, the pattern of cut and fracture marks suggested that people prioritized the removal of the most nutritious and calorie-rich parts of the bodies, including the brain, bone marrow, and muscle, immediately after the individuals died.
But the reason for this cannibalistic behavior is unclear. “In prehistoric contexts, it could be a response to survival needs, to ritual practices, or even to the dynamics of intergroup violence,” Palmira Saladié, a co-author of the study and a researcher at IPHES, said in a statement.
However, the archaeological evidence from Maszycka Cave suggests that this case of cannibalism was not related to survival needs. During the Magdalenian period (23,000 to 11,000 years ago) in Europe, the area was known for a surge in human population, the researchers write in the study. For that reason, they say, starvation is an unlikely explanation for the cannibalism.
Since there is no evidence that the cannibalized people were buried in a respectful manner and the human bones are mixed with the bones of slaughtered animals, the researchers think this is an example of “war cannibalism.” A combination of large numbers of people and scarce resources during the Magdalenian period could have led to territorial tensions and violent struggles for survival.
For the Maszycka Cave skeletons, “the age profile resembles that of a complete family unit, suggesting that they may have been attacked, subdued, and then cannibalized,” the researchers write.
Other European sites dating to the same time period also have evidence of cannibalism, suggesting that the practice was an important part of culture during the Magdalenian period, whether they consumed their own dead or their enemies.
