Some early ancient humans were cannibals and ate children

Archaeologists discovered new evidence of cannibalism among early human ancestors at the Gran Dolina cave site in northern Spain. The remains, belonging to Homo antecessor, an extinct species of early humans that lived around 770,000 years ago and known only from the Atapuerca site, reveal that even children were not exempt from this practice.

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Identification of cannibalism was possible because the marks on the bones are characteristic signs of meat exploitation identical to those observed in the remains of animals consumed by these same humans. Archaeologists observed traces of cuts on a toddler’s neck bone, indicating a deeply unsettling fate.

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Evidence of cannibalism among early human relatives dates back even further. In Kenya, cut marks on bones dating back 1.45 million years suggest possible cannibalism, though it’s less clear whether those marks are from cannibalism or something else. The bones found at Gran Dolina, however, are the earliest definitive evidence of human cannibalism anywhere.

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