A team of researchers analyzed about a thousand bones discovered in three caves in the Granada region of Spain, revealing that cannibalism was a recurring practice during the Neolithic, approximately 7,000 years ago. The remains show marks indicating collective violence and possible ritual behavior.
The researchers identified clear signs of body processing, including defleshing, deliberate fracturing of bones, and marrow removal. The evidence suggests these practices were not isolated events but rather part of a recurring pattern in the Neolithic community that inhabited the region.
The analyses also showed that some skulls were transformed into containers, possibly for ritual use. This discovery sheds new light on the cultural and social practices of the earliest agricultural communities on the Iberian Peninsula.
The study represents a significant contribution to understanding human behavior in prehistory, revealing previously unknown aspects of the violence and funerary rituals of the early Neolithic in the Granada area.
