Archaeologists have uncovered chilling evidence of cannibalism dating back nearly 6,000 years in a cave in northern Spain, challenging long-held ideas about prehistoric communities. Within El Mirador Cave, in the famous Atapuerca archaeological site, researchers found the remains of 11 individuals showing clear signs of human flesh being consumed.
The bones bear precise cut marks, evidence of cooking, and even human bite marks. Antonio Rodríguez-Hidalgo from the Institute of Archaeology-Mérida, who co-authored the study published in Scientific Reports, said while prehistoric cannibalism cases are rare, this practice was likely more common in Neolithic Iberia than previously thought and may have even been culturally accepted.
The victims appear to have been subjected to “extreme exploitation”, a child’s femur was deliberately broken to extract marrow, showing grim precision rather than desperation.
Experts believe this was an act of war cannibalism, intended to completely erase enemies both physically and spiritually, rather than an act born of survival or ritual.
Since all died at the same time and there’s no evidence of famine or harsh climate, survival cannibalism is ruled out.
Rodríguez-Hidalgo said: “When cannibalism occurs within a community, it’s usually limited to what’s needed to survive. Here, the thorough processing of bodies suggests the victims were enemies, not part of the same group.”
This suggests that violent conflict and brutal reprisals also played a part in prehistoric life.
However, Rodríguez-Hidalgo added this doesn’t mean humans are naturally violent.
“War is not in our genes. Most of the time, we avoid it through diplomacy and politics,” they said.
Atapuerca has become a key site for studying prehistoric cannibalism, with discoveries spanning nearly a million years. Earlier finds include the oldest known evidence of cannibalism in human evolution and infant cannibalism dating back over 850,000 years.
The site’s success is largely thanks to the expertise of a dedicated team led by Palmira Saladié from the Catalan Institute of Human Palaeoecology and Social Evolution.