Posted on 02/12/2025 9:06:44 AM PST by Red Badger
The entrance to the Maszycka Cave in southern Poland (Credit: Darek Bobak)
In a nutshell
* Scientists found evidence of cannibalism in an 18,000-year-old Polish cave, where at least ten people — including children — were systematically butchered and eaten, likely due to territorial conflicts rather than survival needs
* The Magdalenian people who created famous cave art like Lascaux were capable of both sophisticated cultural achievements and extreme violence, challenging our understanding of prehistoric societies
* As populations grew after the last Ice Age, competition for resources likely led to violent conflicts between groups, with evidence of similar cannibalism practices found at other European sites from this period
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GÖTTINGEN, Germany — A cave in Poland has provided disturbing evidence about how some of our ancestors lived 18,000 years ago. Scientists studying ancient human remains from the the Maszycka Cave near Krakow have found clear signs that at least 10 people, including children, were not just killed, but eaten by other humans.
Over a century ago, researchers discovered human bones mixed among stone and bone tools and the remains of Ice Age animals. Additional excavations in the 1960s uncovered more human remains, bringing the total to 63 bones from ten individuals dating back 18,000 years. This collection represents one of the most important finds of human remains from the late Upper Palaeolithic period.
These bones belonged to people from a culture known as the Magdalenian, which flourished across Europe between 17,000 and 12,000 years ago as the last Ice Age was ending. Far from being primitive, the Magdalenians were sophisticated artists and craftspeople. They created stunning cave paintings like those at Lascaux in France, carved intricate decorations into bone and antler, and developed advanced hunting technologies including sophisticated spear-throwers and harpoons.
Yet despite their cultural achievements, new research published in Scientific Reports reveals a darker side to Magdalenian society. “The wide range of artistic evidence points to favorable living conditions during this period. It therefore seems unlikely that cannibalism was practiced out of necessity,” explains Professor Thomas Terberger from the University of Göttingen’s Department of Prehistory and Early History.
The 18,000-year-old discoveries from the Maszycka Cave include decorated hunting tools made of bone and antler. (Credit: Darek Bobak)
The evidence from Maszycka Cave tells a grim story. Scientists examining the bones found systematic patterns of cut marks made by stone tools, deliberate breaking of bones to extract marrow, and careful processing of skulls to remove brains. According to Francesc Marginedas from the Catalan Institute of Human Paleoecology and Social Evolution, “The position and frequency of the cut marks, as well as the targeted smashing of bones, leave no doubt that their intention was to extract nutritious components from the dead.”
Modern technology allowed researchers to study these ancient remains in unprecedented detail. Using high-powered microscopes and 3D imaging, they documented precise patterns that distinguish human tool marks from animal bites or natural damage. These marks show the bodies were systematically butchered shortly after death, rather than processed later as part of burial rituals.
The victims included six adults and four young people, with ages ranging from around six years old to adulthood. The mix of ages suggests an entire family group may have been targeted. Their remains weren’t carefully buried but instead were discarded alongside animal food waste, indicating they were treated as prey rather than respected members of the community.
This discovery isn’t isolated. Similar evidence has emerged at other Magdalenian sites across Europe, including Gough’s Cave in England and Brillenhöhle in Germany. Together, these findings suggest that cannibalism may have been more widespread during this period than previously thought.
Cut and impact marks indicating cannibalism on various human parts of the skeleton from the Maszycka Cave. (Credit: Antonio Rodríguez-Hidalgo IAM (CSIC-Junta de Extremadura))
The timing and location of these events provide important context. The Maszycka Cave site sits at the easternmost edge of Magdalenian territory, far from their main population centers in western Europe. As the climate warmed following the last Ice Age, human populations were growing and expanding into new territories. This expansion likely led to increased competition for resources and territorial conflicts between different groups.
The isolation of Maszycka Cave may have made its inhabitants particularly vulnerable. Archaeological evidence suggests they were part of a small group that had ventured far from the main centers of Magdalenian culture. In this frontier setting, violent encounters with other groups might have been more common.
The careful analysis of the bones reveals the sequence of events. First, bodies were systematically skinned and dismembered, with sharp stone tools leaving distinctive marks on the bones. Then, major muscle groups were removed, leaving parallel scratches where tools scraped against the bone. Finally, bones were broken open to access the nutritious marrow inside, using specific techniques that left characteristic fracture patterns.
Even more telling is what’s missing. Many of the smaller bones from hands and feet are absent, a pattern often seen at other prehistoric cannibalism sites. The bones that remain show no signs of ritual treatment or careful arrangement, they were simply discarded along with other food waste.
Population growth following the last Ice Age may have sparked violent conflicts over resources and territories. The evidence suggests this wasn’t ritualistic cannibalism but rather an act of violence, possibly between competing groups. As Marginedas explains, this might be “an example of violent cannibalism” reflecting broader social tensions as populations expanded and competed for resources.
The research at Maszycka Cave reveals both the sophistication and brutality of Ice Age societies. As populations expanded and competed for resources, some groups resorted to extreme violence, leaving evidence that has survived for 18,000 years in these carefully studied bones.
Paper Summary
Methodology
Using modern analytical methods, researchers examined 36 bone fragments that showed signs of systematic dissection immediately after death. They created detailed microscopic maps of cut marks and damage patterns, comparing them to a reference collection of known tool marks, animal bites, and natural wear patterns. The team used high-resolution silicone molds to capture the precise shape and depth of each mark, then analyzed these using sophisticated 3D imaging technology. This allowed them to distinguish between marks made by stone tools, animal teeth, and natural processes with unprecedented accuracy.
Results
Over two-thirds of the examined bones showed clear signs of human butchery. Cut marks appeared in patterns consistent with systematic flesh removal and dismemberment. Skulls showed evidence of scalping and careful processing to access the brain. Long bones were systematically broken to extract marrow, using specific striking patterns that leave distinctive marks. The remains came from at least ten individuals, including both adults and children, with ages ranging from about six years to adulthood. The evidence suggests the bodies were processed shortly after death, rather than as part of any delayed funeral ritual.
Limitations
The biggest limitation is the incomplete nature of the skeletal collection. Many bones were missing from the site, either because they didn’t survive thousands of years of burial or weren’t collected during early excavations in the 1800s. Particularly scarce were smaller bones from hands and feet, which often provide important evidence in studies of ancient cannibalism. Additionally, the techniques available in early excavations weren’t as precise as modern methods, meaning some contextual information about exactly how the bones were arranged in the cave may have been lost.
Discussion and Takeaways
This research demonstrates that cannibalism was more widespread in prehistoric Europe than previously recognized. The evidence points to systematic processing of human bodies for food, likely connected to violent conflicts between groups as populations expanded after the last Ice Age. The findings help shed light on how ancient societies dealt with resource competition and territorial conflicts. The careful, systematic nature of the bone processing suggests this wasn’t emergency survival cannibalism but rather a deliberate practice, possibly tied to warfare between groups.
Funding and Disclosures
The research was supported by several European institutions including the Spanish Ministry of Universities and the Institut Català de Paleoecologia Humana i Evolució Social (IPHES-CERCA). Additional support came from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation through the “María de Maeztu” program for Units of Excellence. The researchers reported no conflicts of interest.
Publication Details
“New insights of cultural cannibalism amongst Magdalenian groups at Maszycka Cave, Poland” was published in Scientific Reports in 2025. The international research team included scientists from the Institut Català de Paleoecologia Humana i Evolució Social, the University of Rzeszów, the University of Göttingen, and other European institutions.
Or maybe they had read Voltaire's justification of cannibalism in chapter 16 of Candide.
Yes they killed children. Just like we do.
And while I don’t know that we are dining on the corpses in the US right now we are cannibalizing for medical research and transplant with impunity. The man who exposed the sale of these hearts and livers etc was subject to years of persecution from Kamala Harris.
We are just as”primitive” as they. God have mercy.
Hmm. Is Poland in the Andes mountains? Any remnants of a plane or soccer players?
So, I suppose “Maszycka” translates to “tastes like chicken”?
Every culture has had pychopathic serial killers as well.
How come anthropologists never considered that as a theory.
When you’re hungry you gotta eat.
Go to Haiti right now and people are eating each other.
***.Could have been Czech.............
Rice Czech.
If you think about it, ancient humans I am sure observed animal behavior. Animals will kill and eat even their own. Ancient humans were not much more than animals themselves so killing one of their own and eating it wasn’t much different than what they observed in the animal kingdom. Apes and monkey do it, birds and fish do as well. Male lions will kill young and eat them. Coyotes will kill and eat dogs. Sows will sometimes give birth to a litter and eat all of the young. Killing and eating has been going on since the beginning of time, I am sure there was no one there that told them they couldn’t or that it was wrong. No it is not surprising at all.
When did Fanny Willis and Letitia James travel to Poland?
/spit
One man’s @ss cheek is another man’s rump roast.
So…..THIS is the new ‘live in a cave’ lifestyle Greta Thunberg etc look forward to for the rest of us?
No thanks.
Is that whiny little twit waffle even still relevant?
( I still think she looks like Brad Douriff in drag)
The first Polish sausage.....? 😆😁
🥴......
A certain ethnic background...
You wanna see cannibalism waits till there are ten billion humans running around and the era of liquid hydrocarbons comes to an end without a replacement energy source of equal magnitude in place.
Or just wait for a class X or larger solar flare to cook the world’s energy grid and the lights go out for good. Civilization will crumble in days if not hours. There will be cannibalism on a scale not seen in history once either of these two happens. Civilization is just a thin veil over the true barbarism that humans are. We are a savage species unlike any other on this planet as we have the large brain cases to house a truly diabolical mind. We get creative in our barbarism.
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