New practices of cultural cannibalism from 18,000 years ago discovered in Poland

An international team of researchers led by IPHES-CERCA and the CSIC has identified new conclusive evidence of cultural cannibalism practices among human communities in the Magdalenian, around 18,000 years ago, in the Maszycka cave in Poland. This discovery provides new data on the mortuary and ritual practices of this period of prehistory.

This is the main conclusion of the article published in the prestigious journal Scientific Reports in a work led by Francesc Marginedas, researcher at IPHES-CERCA and the Universitat Rovira i Virgili, in which Dr. Palmira Saladié, researcher at IPHES-CERCA, Dr. Antonio Rodríguez-Hidalgo has also participated, from the Institute of Archaeology-Mérida (CSIC-Junta de Extremadura) and associate researcher at IPHES-CERCA, as well as Dr. Marta Połtowicz-Bobak from the Institute of Archaeology of the University of Rzeszów (Poland), Dr. Thomas Terberger from the University of Göttingen (Germany) and Dr. Dariusz Bobak from the Foundation of the Archaeological Center of Rzeszów (Poland).

Immediate Prosecution After Death

The taphonomic analysis of a set of 63 human bone fragments, including skulls and long limb bones, has identified that 68% of the remains show marks of human manipulation. Among these evidences are cut marks and intentional fractures related to human consumption, such as the removal of muscle packets, brain, and marrow.

The team has used advanced 3D microscopy techniques for the analysis of bone marks. This approach has made it possible to distinguish marks generated by humans from those caused by natural processes or by the activity of carnivores.

According to Marginedas, a researcher at IPHES-CERCA and lead author of the study: "The location and frequency of the cut marks and the intentional fracturing of the skeleton clearly show a nutritional exploitation of the bodies, ruling out the hypothesis of a funerary treatment without consumption."

The study indicates that the bodies were processed shortly after their death without giving time for decomposition. The skull has cut marks resulting from the removal of the scalp and flesh, while the fracture is related to access to the brain, an organ rich in nutrients. Long bones such as the femur and humerus show percussion fractures to remove the spring, an important source of fat and calories. This systematic manipulation suggests an integral consumption of the remains, prioritizing the most nutritious parts.

Cultural interpretations and intergroup conflicts

The documented behavior could be related to intergroup tensions and territorial conflicts during the Magdalenian. According to IPHES-CERCA researcher Dr. Palmira Saladié, also a co-author of the study: "Cannibalism is a behavior documented at various times in human evolution. In prehistoric contexts, it could respond to both survival needs and ritual practices or even dynamics of intergroup violence."

The authors propose that the increase in population during the demographic expansion that occurred after the Last Glacial Maximum could have intensified competition for resources, favoring confrontations between different groups, in which in some cases, events of war cannibalism would have taken place.

Currently in Europe there are 5 sites from this period with clear evidence of cannibalism. This high number of sites together with archaeological data has allowed researchers to suggest that cannibalism during the Magdalenian was part of the culture of these groups, either by consuming their own deceased, or those of their enemies.

In the Maszycka cave, no signs have been identified that allow this human accumulation to be related to a respectful funerary treatment as has been proposed in other contemporary sites such as Gough's Cave (United Kingdom), where there is a ritualization of the skulls. This fact, together with the discovery of the remains mixed with the remains of consumed animals, supports the hypothesis that it is a violent case of cannibalism.

The Maszycka site: a key enclave of the Magdalenian

Maszycka Cave, near Krakow (Poland), was occupied 18,000 years ago, during the period known as the Magdalenian. Excavated for the first time in the nineteenth century, it had already yielded stone tools, remains of fauna and human fragments. However, the skeletal remains had not been analyzed with modern techniques until this study.