Ancient Spanish Cannibals Used Enemy Consumption as "Final Eradication" Method
In a groundbreaking study published in the journal Scientific Reports, researchers have uncovered evidence of prehistoric cannibalism in the El Mirador cave located in Spain's Sierra de Atapuerca. The findings, led by study author Antonio Rodríguez-Hidalgo, offer insights into the social and cultural context of Neolithic communities in the region, revealing a landscape of potential interpersonal violence and organized conflict.
Cannibalism at El Mirador
The study reveals that at least 11 people were consumed at the same site between 5,709 and 5,573 years ago. The remains show evidence of cannibalism, with cut marks from slicing and chopping seen on 132 fragments, and several bearing bite marks made by human teeth. The victims at El Mirador appear to have been a nuclear or extended family, killed in a single event by a neighboring or external group.
The cannibalistic act was not a funerary tradition or an act of emergency sustenance. Instead, it appears to have been motivated by conflict and a desire to annihilate a clan of enemies. Marginedas, the researcher behind the findings, suggests that these cannibalistic acts may reflect widespread intergroup conflict during the Neolithic, serving as a form of ultimate elimination.
War Cannibalism
The study suggests that the incident at El Mirador may represent a case of "warfare cannibalism". This is supported by the comprehensive butchering process involving meat, viscera, bone marrow, and brain extraction. The evidence also shows signs of cremation on 222 bones and marks of butchery on 69, indicating a ritualistic yet violent act.
Prehistoric Cannibalism in Sierra de Atapuerca
Prehistoric cannibalism cases in the Sierra de Atapuerca span a very wide temporal range, including both the late Neolithic period (about 5,700 years ago) and much earlier archaic humans from around 850,000 years ago. Beyond El Mirador, two other identified contexts of Neolithic warfare-related cannibalism have been documented: Herxheim in Germany and Fontbrégoua in France.
Causes and Historical Context
The late Neolithic cannibalism (~5,700 years ago) took place at El Mirador Cave and involved at least 11 individuals, including children and adults. Researchers interpret this as war cannibalism rather than hunger-driven or ritual cannibalism—likely an act of "extreme exploitation" by one group consuming rival clan members to establish dominance and spiritually erase enemies during violent times of social transformation (transition to agriculture and sedentism).
Much earlier cannibalism (~850,000 years ago) is evidenced at the Gran Dolina cave, also in Atapuerca, where a child's neck bone (Homo antecessor) shows cut marks indicating decapitation and processing. This indicates that archaic humans practiced cannibalism indiscriminately, treating human prey similarly to animal prey.
Age Range and Victims
The late Neolithic victims include a mix of children, adolescents, and adults, all local to the area and likely from the same extended family group. The much earlier prehistoric case involved toddlers or young children (2–5 years old) from the species Homo antecessor, who were also processed for consumption.
Summary
In conclusion, the Sierra de Atapuerca provides some of the earliest and clearest archaeological evidence of cannibalism in Europe, showing this practice occurred in very different prehistoric contexts—both in archaic human groups and much later during the Neolithic—with varying motivations from survival behavior to intergroup violence and social dominance.
| Period | Site | Victims | Cause/Context | Key Evidence | |-------------------|------------------|-------------------------|----------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------| | Late Neolithic (~5,700 years ago) | El Mirador Cave | Children, adolescents, adults | War cannibalism: dominance assertion in violent social upheaval; not driven by hunger or ritual | Cut marks, cooking, human bite marks, bone fracturing, marrow extraction | | ~850,000 years ago | Gran Dolina Cave | Toddlers (2-5 years old) | Processing of human prey similar to animal prey in archaic humans (Homo antecessor) | Precise cut marks on cervical vertebra, defleshing, bone fractures |
- The groundbreaking study on prehistoric cannibalism in the El Mirador cave, published in Scientific Reports, offers insights into the social and cultural context of Neolithic communities in the region, revealing a landscape of potential interpersonal violence and organized conflict.
- The incidents of cannibalism in the Sierra de Atapuerca span a wide temporal range, encompassing both the late Neolithic period (about 5,700 years ago) and much earlier archaic humans from around 850,000 years ago.
- War cannibalism, a violent act motivated by conflict and a desire to annihilate enemies, appears to have been practiced by the Neolithic communities in the Sierra de Atapuerca, as evidenced by the findings at El Mirador Cave.
- The study suggests that the politics, ecology, and general news of the time may have played significant roles in the occurrence of prehistoric war cannibalism, shedding light on the complexities of human behavior in the past.
