Evidence for bronze age cannibalism in El Mirador Cave (Sierra de Atapuerca, Burgos, Spain)
Abstract
During excavations of the Bronze Age levels at El Mirador Cave, a hole containing human remains was found. Taphonomic analysis revealed the existence of cutmarks, human toothmarks, cooking damage, and deliberate breakage in most of the remains recovered, suggesting a clear case of gastronomic cannibalism. The piled distribution of the remains, the uneven skeletal representation, and the chronological difference between the pit and the remains suggest that these bones were subsequently buried by a human group that inhabited into the cave later in time. Evidence of gastronomic cannibalism has already been documented in Gran Dolina, another site in the Sierra de Atapuerca, on remains of Homo antecessor with an age of 800 ky (Fernández-Jalvo et al.: Science 271 (1996) 277-278; Fernández-Jalvo et al.: J Hum Evol 37 (1999) 591-622).
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The taphonomic evidence closely matches the indicators documented in other prehistoric assemblages interpreted as cases of cannibalism.
“Taken together, this taphonomic evidence closely matches the indicators documented in other prehistoric assemblages interpreted as cases of cannibalism16,27,28,33,36,42,43,50–52.”
From Evidence of neolithic cannibalism among farming communities at El Mirador cave, Sierra de Atapuerca, Spain (2025) · cites this paper as [16]
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Genome-wide patterns of selection in 230 ancient Eurasians
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Self-citationAssessing the calorific significance of episodes of human cannibalism in the Palaeolithic
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“Men, Women, and Children Starving”: Archaeology of the Donner Family Camp
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Evidence for End‐stage Cannibalism on Sir John Franklin's Last Expedition to the Arctic, 1845
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Saladié, P., Marginedas, F., Morales, J. I., Vergès, J. M., Allué, E., Expósito, I., Lozano, M., Martín, P., Iglesias-Bexiga, J., Fontanals, M., et al. (2025) · Scientific Reports · doi:10.1038/s41598-025-10266-w · Cited by 3 · see citing works
“Taken together, this taphonomic evidence closely matches the indicators documented in other prehistoric assemblages interpreted as cases of cannibalism 16,27,28,33,36,42,43,50–52 .”
Self-citation
- Authors
- Cáceres, I., Lozano, M., & Saladié, P.
- Affiliations
- Institut Català de Paleoecologia Humana i Evolució Social (ES)
- Corresponding author
- Cáceres, Isabel
- Venue
- American Journal of Physical Anthropology
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2007-05-09
- Volume
- 133
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 899-917
- ISSN
- 0002-9483 (ISSN-L)
- 1096-8644
- OpenAlex
- W1999447801
- Cited by
- 128
- References
- 1
- Citations by year
- 2026: 2 · 2025: 3 · 2024: 8 · 2023: 4 · 2022: 10 · 2021: 4 · 2020: 5 · 2019: 17 · 2018: 4 · 2017: 9 · 2016: 12 · 2015: 11 · 2014: 8 · 2013: 3 · 2012: 6
- FWCI
- 55.77
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- American Journal of Physical Anthropology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Digital Commons - University of South Florida (University of South Florida) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Archeology › Archaeological and Geological Studies
- Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Archeology › Forensic Anthropology and Bioarchaeology Studies
- Social Sciences › Anthropology › Pleistocene-Era Hominins and Archaeology
- Keywords
- Bronze Age, Sierra de Atapuerca, cut marks, skeletal remains, Gran Dolina, Homo antecessor
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Bone and Bones, Cannibalism, Child, Preschool, Female, Fossils, Humans, Male, Spain, History, Ancient
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