Saladié Palmira, Marginedas Francesc, Morales Juan Ignacio, Vergès Josep María, Allué Ethel, Expósito Isabel, Lozano Marina, Martín Patricia, Iglesias-Bexiga Javier, Fontanals Marta, Marsal Roser, Hernando Raquel, Burguet-Coca Aitor, Rodríguez-Hidalgo Antonio
Catalan Institute of Human Paleoecology and Social Evolution (IPHES), Zona Educacional 4, Campus Sescelades URV (Building W3), Tarragona, 43007, Spain.
Area of Prehistory, Rovira i Virgili University, Campus Catalunya. Avinguda de Catalunya 35, Tarragona, 43003, Spain.
Sci Rep. 2025 Aug 7;15(1):26648. doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-10266-w.
In El Mirador cave in Sierra de Atapuerca, Spain, a unique collection of human remains provides insights into cannibalistic practices from the Neolithic to the Bronze Age. Six Early Bronze Age individuals (4600-4100 cal BP) showing signs of cannibalism were discovered in the early 2000s. Later excavations uncovered older remains with similar cultural modifications. A Bayesian statistical analysis of the radiocarbon dates identified a single earlier event (5709-5573 cal BP) unrelated to the Bronze Age finds. 87Sr/86Sr analysis showed the cannibalised people were of local origin. The episode coincided with the end of the Neolithic occupation, suggesting this was a not common behaviour among the cave inhabitants. Given the age of the cannibalised individuals and environmental conditions, the data does not indicate a response to famine. This study complements and expands upon our understanding of European prehistoric cannibalism. The current findings suggest that cannibalism may be linked to intergroup violence during late prehistoric periods.
在西班牙阿塔普埃尔卡山脉的埃尔米拉多尔洞穴中，一批独特的人类遗骸为研究从新石器时代到青铜时代的食人行为提供了线索。21世纪初，人们发现了六具青铜时代早期（公元前4600 - 4100年校准年代）有食人迹象的个体遗骸。后来的发掘又发现了有类似文化特征的更古老遗骸。通过对放射性碳年代测定数据进行贝叶斯统计分析，确定了一个与青铜时代发现无关的更早事件（公元前5709 - 5573年校准年代）。锶同位素比值（87Sr/86Sr）分析表明，被食者来自当地。这一事件与新石器时代居住活动的结束时间相符，表明这在洞穴居住者中并非常见行为。鉴于被食个体的年龄和环境条件，数据并未显示出这是对饥荒的反应。这项研究补充并拓展了我们对欧洲史前食人行为的理解。目前的研究结果表明，食人行为可能与史前晚期的群体间暴力有关。
