Gran Dolina Fossils Show 6 Adult Homo antecessor Were Cannibalized 850,000 Years Ago
Updated
Updated · Gizmodo · Jul 29
Gran Dolina Fossils Show 6 Adult Homo antecessor Were Cannibalized 850,000 Years Ago
3 articles · Updated · Gizmodo · Jul 29
Summary
Twenty-four newly announced Homo antecessor fossils from Spain’s Gran Dolina site include six adults bearing cut marks, widening evidence of cannibalism beyond the children highlighted in earlier finds.
Those marks were found alongside stone tools, animal remains and other human bones in an 850,000-year-old occupation area, giving archaeologists unusually detailed evidence that bodies at the site were butchered and consumed.
Palmira Saladié called the discovery a turning point because previous interpretations had been shaped by the heavy concentration of infant and juvenile skeletons, including a toddler fossil reported last year with cuts and human bite marks.
The haul also adds remains from hyenas, beavers, horses and rhinos, helping researchers reconstruct Homo antecessor anatomy, group makeup and resource use for one of Europe’s least understood early human relatives.