In a recent study published in the journal Scientific Reports, an international team of researchers has identified compelling evidence of cultural cannibalism among Magdalenian human communities approximately 18,000 years ago. This discovery, made in the Maszycka Cave in Poland, provides new data on mortuary and ritual practices during this prehistoric period.
The finding is based on a thorough taphonomic analysis conducted on 63 human bone fragments, including skulls and long bones of the limbs. The results of this study indicate that 68% of the remains show unequivocal signs of human manipulation, such as cut marks and intentional fractures. This evidence points to the deliberate extraction of muscle tissue, the brain, and marrow, suggesting that the bodies were processed for consumption shortly after death.
Using advanced 3D microscopy techniques, the researchers were able to precisely differentiate marks caused by human tools from those that could have been produced by natural factors or scavenger activity. According to Francesc Marginedas, a researcher at IPHES-CERCA and lead author of the study, the location and distribution of these marks demonstrate a nutritional exploitation of the corpses, completely ruling out the possibility that this was solely a funerary treatment without consumption.
The human remains show a clear pattern of processing. Cuts associated with the removal of the scalp and facial flesh were identified on the skulls, as well as fractures produced to access the brain, a highly nutritious organ. Meanwhile, long bones such as the femur and humerus exhibit percussion fractures, a technique used to extract marrow, a valuable source of fat and energy. The distribution and repetition of these patterns suggest a methodical consumption, prioritizing the most nutrient-rich parts.
The researchers believe this behavior may be linked to intergroup tensions and territorial conflicts characteristic of the Magdalenian period. According to Dr. Palmira Saladié, co-author of the study, cannibalism is a practice documented at various points in human evolution, with diverse motivations ranging from survival to rituals or acts of extreme violence.
The study suggests that population growth following the Last Glacial Maximum may have led to increased competition for resources, resulting in conflicts between groups. In this context, cannibalism may have been practiced as a form of violence against enemies—what is known as war cannibalism.
Currently, there are five archaeological sites in Europe with clear evidence of cannibalism during the Magdalenian period, indicating that this practice was not an isolated event but possibly part of these groups’ culture, whether involving the consumption of their own dead or captured adversaries.
The Maszycka Cave, located near Kraków, Poland, has been recognized since the 19th century as an archaeologically significant site. Over time, stone tools, animal remains, and human bone fragments have been discovered inside. However, modern techniques had not been applied until now for a detailed analysis of the bones, which has provided novel and decisive information about the behavior of the region’s inhabitants during that period.
Unlike other sites such as Gough’s Cave in the United Kingdom, where human remains show signs of ritualization, no evidence has been identified in Maszycka to suggest a respectful funerary treatment. On the contrary, the mixture of human remains with consumed animal bones and the evident fracturing for food purposes reinforce the hypothesis that this is a case of cannibalism associated with violence.
SOURCES
Institut Català de Paleoecologia Humana i Evolució Social (IPHES)
Marginedas, F., Saladié, P., Połtowicz-Bobak, M. et al. New insights of cultural cannibalism amongst Magdalenian groups at Maszycka Cave, Poland. Sci Rep 15, 2351 (2025). doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-86093-w
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