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Cited by 19Pleistocene-Era Hominins and ArchaeologyArchaeological and Geological StudiesForensic Anthropology and Bioarchaeology Studies

Experimental Butchering of a Chimpanzee Carcass for Archaeological Purposes

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Saladié, Palmira, Cáceres, Isabel, Huguet, Rosa, Rodríguez-Hidalgo, Antonio, Santander, Borís, Ollé, Andreu, Gabucio, Mª Joana, Martín, Patricia +1 more·2015·PLOS ONE
DOI 10.1371/journal.pone.0121208PMC PMC4368797
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Abstract

Two archaeological assemblages from the Sierra de Atapuerca sites show evidence of anthropogenic cannibalism. These are the late Early Pleistocene level TD6-2 at Gran Dolina, and the Bronze Age level MIR4 in the Mirador Cave. Despite the chronological distance between these two assemblages, they share the common feature that the human remains exhibit a high frequency of anthropogenic modifications (cut marks, percussion pits and notches and peeling). This frequency could denote special treatment of bodies, or else be the normal result of the butchering process. In order to test these possibilities, we subjected a chimpanzee carcass to a butchering process. The processing was intensive and intended to simulate preparation for consumption. In doing this, we used several simple flakes made from quartzite and chert from quarries in the Sierra de Atapuerca. The skull, long bones, metapodials and phalanges were also fractured in order to remove the brain and bone marrow. As a result, about 40% of the remains showed some kind of human modification. The frequency, distribution and characteristics of these modifications are very similar to those documented on the remains of Homo antecessor from TD6-2. In case of the MIR4 assemblage, the results are similar except in the treatment of skulls. Our results indicate that high frequencies of anthropogenic modifications are common after an intensive butchering process intended to prepare a hominin body for consumption in different contexts (both where there was possible ritual behavior and where this was not the case and the modifications are not the result of special treatment).

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  • 28.7% and 25% of the remains displayed fresh fractures with curved or V-shaped outlines and oblique fracture angles.

    “Additionally, 28.7% and 25% of the remains displayed fresh fractures with curved or V-shaped outlines and oblique fracture angles29.”

    From Evidence of neolithic cannibalism among farming communities at El Mirador cave, Sierra de Atapuerca, Spain (2025) · cites this paper as [29]

    The Results (Arms and legs; page unavailable) report that 41 of 107 long-bone specimens (38.3%) had anthropogenic breakage marks, but do not give the claimed fracture-outline or angle measurements. Searches for “28.7%,” “curved or V-shaped,” and “oblique fracture angles” found no passage supporting the two percentages or those fracture characteristics. (LLM, conf=0.74)

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Authors
Saladié, P., Cáceres, I., Huguet, R., Rodríguez-Hidalgo, A., Santander, B., Ollé, A., Gabucio, M. J., Martín, P., & Marín, J.
Affiliations
  • Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (ES)
  • Institut Català de Paleoecologia Humana i Evolució Social (ES)
Corresponding author
Saladié, Palmira
ORCID
Venue
PLOS ONE
Publisher
Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Published
2015-03-20
Volume
10
Issue
3
Pages
e0121208
ISSN
1932-6203 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1371/journal.pone.0121208
PMC
PMC4368797
OpenAlex
W2023244736
Cited by
19
References
1
Citations by year
2026: 1 · 2025: 4 · 2024: 1 · 2023: 1 · 2022: 1 · 2020: 1 · 2019: 2 · 2018: 1 · 2017: 1 · 2016: 4 · 2015: 2
FWCI
11.21
Type
journal article
Language
en
Update notices
correction (2015-04-17)
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • PLoS ONE (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Rovira & Virgili repository (submittedVersion, cc-by)
  • DIGITAL.CSIC (Spanish National Research Council (CSIC)) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
Funders
  • Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (SGR 2014-899, CGL2012-38434-C03-03, HAR2012-32548, CGL2009-12703-C03-02, CGL2012)
  • Comisión Nacional de Investigación Científica y Tecnológica
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Anthropology › Pleistocene-Era Hominins and Archaeology
  • Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Archeology › Archaeological and Geological Studies
  • Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Archeology › Forensic Anthropology and Bioarchaeology Studies
Keywords
butchery, cut marks, peeling, Homo antecessor, Gran Dolina, Sierra de Atapuerca, ritual behavior, Bronze Age, Early Pleistocene
MeSH terms
Animals, Archaeology, Bone and Bones, Pan troglodytes

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