A New Revelation from the Hills of Atapuerca
The hills of Atapuerca in Burgos, Spain, have long been a hotspot for scientific discoveries. However, recent findings have challenged our understanding of prehistoric human behavior, revealing unsettling insights into the past.
A set of skeletal remains found in El Mirador cave has provided evidence of cannibalism dating back approximately 5,700 years. These remains show signs of precise cut marks, controlled burning, and even cooking. Additionally, human bite marks were discovered, indicating that the practice was not just about survival but something more complex.
According to Antonio RodrÃguez-Hidalgo, a researcher at the Institute of Archaeology-Mérida (IAM-CSIC) and co-author of the study published in Scientific Reports, while examples of prehistoric cannibalism are rare, it appears to have been more common in Neolithic Iberia than previously thought. He suggests that this practice was integrated into the culture of the time.
The Victims of "Extreme Exploitation"
The discovery includes the remains of 11 individuals, some of whom were children. Experts describe their treatment as an example of “extreme exploitation.” One particularly disturbing finding was a child’s femur, deliberately struck to extract marrow, which indicates both skill and brutality.
Researchers believe this was an episode of war cannibalism, not just a simple act of killing. For our ancestors, consuming the flesh of enemies was believed to erase them from both the physical and spiritual realms. This act was seen as a way to destroy the soul entirely, eliminating any trace of the adversary.
The fact that all 11 victims died at once rules out long-term funerary rites. Additionally, there is no evidence of famine or harsh climate conditions, making survival-based cannibalism unlikely. As RodrÃguez-Hidalgo explains, “If you’re eating someone from your own group, you usually take only what’s needed to survive.” Instead, the thorough use of the bodies suggests that the victims did not belong to the same social group as their aggressors, but were enemies who had to be completely obliterated.
This discovery challenges the traditional view of Neolithic societies as peaceful farming communities. It shows that they also resolved conflicts violently. However, RodrÃguez-Hidalgo clarifies that this does not mean humans are genetically predisposed to war. “It's not that war is in our genes, but rather that what we usually do, and succeed in doing, is to avoid it with tools such as diplomacy or politics.”
Atapuerca: The Epicenter of Cannibalism Research
Atapuerca has become the global center for the study of prehistoric cannibalism. RodrÃguez-Hidalgo humorously notes that “Atapuerca is as if it were the capital of cannibalism” on a scientific level.
The site has yielded evidence of cannibalism spanning nearly a million years. The earliest known case dates back almost a million years, marking the first documented instance of cannibalism in human evolution. More recently, a team of researchers announced the discovery of evidence of infant cannibalism over 850,000 years ago. Cases have also been found from the Bronze Age, around 4,000 years ago.
The success of Atapuerca in this field is due in part to the work of a dedicated team led by Palmira Saladié at the Catalan Institute of Human Palaeoecology and Social Evolution (IPHES). Her expertise allows her to identify subtle bone markings that others might overlook.
A Legacy of Discovery
The modern history of Atapuerca began in 1863 when Felipe de Ariño and Ramón Inclán published the discovery of prehistoric human remains in Cueva Ciega. However, it wasn’t until the 20th century that the site gained scientific recognition.
In 1976, Emiliano Aguirre initiated a multidisciplinary project in the Sierra de Atapuerca. That same year, Trinidad Torres, a speleology group leader, uncovered a remarkably complete human jawbone in the Sima de los Huesos. This marked the beginning of a new era for the site.
The 1990s brought significant attention to Atapuerca. In 1992, the discovery of human remains in the Sima de los Huesos site garnered international interest. Two years later, archaeologists unearthed fossils over 900,000 years old, belonging to a newly identified species, Homo antecessor. This discovery reshaped our understanding of human evolution in Europe.
In 2000, UNESCO declared the Atapuerca sites a World Heritage Site, cementing its status as one of the most important archaeological locations globally. Emiliano Aguirre was honored with the Prince of Asturias Award for Technical and Scientific Research in 1998 for his pioneering work.
The legacy of Atapuerca continues into the 21st century. During the 2022 excavation season, researchers uncovered a facial fragment and part of a jawbone from Homo affinis erectus, dated to around 1.2 million years ago—making them the oldest human remains ever found at the site.