Evidence of Cannibalism Among Early Human Ancestors
Archaeologists have uncovered compelling evidence suggesting that early human ancestors, specifically Homo antecessor, engaged in cannibalism. This discovery was made at the Gran Dolina cave site in northern Spain, a location that has long been significant for understanding human evolution. The remains found here, dating back approximately 770,000 years, indicate that even children were not spared from this practice.
A child’s neck bone, belonging to a toddler aged between 2 and 5 years, was analyzed by researchers. The bone displayed cut marks that suggest decapitation and defleshing, indicating that the child was treated like any other prey. Dr. Palmira Saladié, co-director of the Gran Dolina excavation, emphasized the significance of these findings, noting that the precision of the cuts on the vertebrae was remarkable. These incisions targeted key anatomical points necessary for disarticulating the head, providing direct evidence that the child was processed like other animals.
Over the past three decades, excavations at the Gran Dolina Cave have revealed more than two dozen examples of human cannibalism. Researchers from the Catalan Institute of Human Paleoecology and Social Evolution (IPHES) reported that about 30% of the human bones found at the site show signs of cannibalism, including slicing, smashing, and bite marks. The preservation of fossil surfaces is exceptional, with cut marks not appearing in isolation but often accompanied by human bite marks. This combination of evidence strongly suggests that the bodies found at the site were indeed consumed.
Experts believe that cannibalism at Gran Dolina was not solely a survival strategy but may have also served as a means for hominins to assert control over territory or reduce rival groups. Dr. Saladié noted that the treatment of the dead was not an isolated event but a repeated behavior. Infant cannibalism, in particular, is associated with systematic practices of meat exploitation by Homo antecessor, making these bones the earliest definitive example of human cannibalism ever discovered.
Homo antecessor, the earliest human relative found in Europe, lived between 1.2 million and 800,000 years ago. They were generally shorter and stockier than modern humans. Since their discovery in the 1990s, experts have debated whether Homo antecessor was the ancestor of Neanderthals and modern humans or an offshoot of the human lineage. Their exact position in the human family tree remains unclear, as they exhibit a unique mix of features—some resembling modern humans and others not.
The identification of cannibalism was possible because the marks on the bones are characteristic signs of meat exploitation, similar to those observed in animal remains consumed by these same humans. Archaeologists observed traces of cuts on a toddler’s neck bone, revealing a disturbing fate for the young child.
Evidence of cannibalism among early human relatives dates back even further. In Kenya, cut marks on bones dating back 1.45 million years suggest possible cannibalism, though the evidence is less clear. The bones found at Gran Dolina, however, represent the earliest definitive evidence of human cannibalism anywhere. Experts emphasize that this indicates cannibalism at Gran Dolina was not a one-time tragedy but a recurring practice. “In the Gran Dolina cave, prey was often another human,” they note.
Researchers believe that the TD6 level still holds numerous human remains in layers yet to be excavated, which could provide further insights into the human relative Homo antecessor. “Every year we uncover new evidence that forces us to rethink how they lived, how they died, and how the dead were treated nearly a million years ago,” said Dr. Saladié.
The research has been conducted by the Institut Català de Paleoecologia Humana i Evolució Social of the Universitat Rovira i Virgili. This superposition of human and carnivore occupation helps reconstruct the alternate use of the cave and provides clues about competition between species in a hostile environment.