Imagine peering back into time, way back, almost six millennia ago. What do you see? For scientists studying ancient human history, the view can sometimes be pretty grim. A recent find from El Mirador cave in Atapuerca has unearthed a truly unsettling truth about our ancestors.
This startling discovery was made by a research team. It was led by the Institut Català de Paleoecologia Humana i Evolució Social (Iphes-Cerca) and the CSIC. They found bones from at least eleven ancient people. This group included both children and adults.
These ancient remains tell a gruesome story. The bones show clear signs of skinning. They also indicate defleshing and disarticulation. It’s clear these individuals were consumed. This wasn’t just a desperate act during a terrible famine. Nor was it some sort of ritual.
Instead, the evidence points to a brutal conflict between different groups of people. The study suggests a systematic consumption of the victims. This means the acts of cannibalism were organized and done regularly. Scientists used special techniques like isotopic analysis to figure this out. They also looked closely at the archaeological finds.
This discovery adds to a growing picture of violence in ancient Europe. It connects with other similar massacres seen from the Neolithic period. The full details of this shocking find were recently published in the scientific journal ‘Scientific Reports’.