Anthropologists Reveal Horrifying Secrets of Ancient European Cannibals

Archaeologists in Spain's Gran Dolina cave have uncovered more than two dozen fossils of ancient humans dating back 850,000 years. Cut marks and mechanical processing found on adult bones indicate regular cannibalism among Homo antecessor. The findings change the understanding of the demographic composition of the population, previously known mainly from remains of children and adolescents.

Archaeological excavations in Spain's Gran Dolina cave have yielded new discoveries: more than two dozen fossils of ancient humans dating back about 850,000 years. Among them are a temporal bone, vertebrae, finger phalanges, and limb elements. Clear cut marks and mechanical processing left by ancient tools were found on adult bones. This proves that cannibalism in the Homo antecessor community was regular and not limited to young members of the group. Previously, researchers had mostly remains of children and adolescents; now the picture has become more balanced. Co-director of the excavations Andreu Ollé noted that each season allows piecing together the historical mosaic. Palmira Saladié from the Catalan Institute of Human Paleoecology emphasized that such evidence helps understand the social ties and behavior of the earliest Europeans. The cave also yielded stone tools made of flint, quartz, and sandstone, as well as bones of hyenas, beavers, deer, horses, and rhinos, confirming coexistence with diverse fauna.