In a study published in Scientific Reports magazine last week, researchers from France, Spain and Poland examined the bones of at least 10 people belonging to Magdalenian culture that lived in Europe in Europe.
In the analyzes using imaging techniques, cuts and traces associated with the removal of the marrow in the long bones and the brain tissue in the skull were detected.
Many previous studies have shown that cannibalism among the Magdalenian people is both common as a funeral ritual and a form of violence.
However, in this study, the examples examined may have been realized especially in the context of war.
Ritual or a result of war?
Francesc Marinedas, one of the editor -in -chiefs of the study, said that no special funeral rituals were seen in this case, and unlike other Magdalenian settlements, there are no ritualized skull containers.
“The findings here suggest that there was an event connected to war,” Marinedas said.
The bones in the Maszycka Cave near the city of Kraków, Poland have been examined by archaeologists for decades. In this process, different theories were put forward about why the Magdalenian people had cut off their dead.
In a study conducted in the 1990s, it was claimed that these people had eaten their enemies. However, in the following years, the fact that there was no human female trace in the skulls weakened the allegations of cannibalism.
Bones were examined under the microscope
Marinedas and his team examined the bones in detail using electron microscopes. As a result of the analyzes, 68 percent of the bones were determined by human hand cut and broken marks were identified.
Researchers said that these bones belong to at least 10 people, consisting of six adults and four children, and that individuals could be related to each other. However, DNA analyzes should continue to achieve a definite conclusion.
Researchers show a cautious approach to whether these findings have a definite proof of cannibalism. “It is difficult to reach a 100 percent definite result with these remains of thousands of years ago, Mar said Marinedas.
Could Kannıbalism be a funeral ritual?
Previously, excavations in the Gough Cave in southeast of England were found on the bones and the human skulls were found to be converted into ritual containers.
However, some experts say it is difficult to reach a definite judgment on whether the Magdalenian people are cannibalist.
Zoology and Kannibalism: Bill Schutt, the author of a completely natural history book, said that this study offers strong evidence, but different explanations are also possible.
“We don’t know exactly what these people do. Perhaps they saw their dead to break down as an indicator of respect. ”
