Gran Dolina Cave in Spain Shows Adult Cannibalism by Homo antecessor

Researchers from the Catalan Institute of Human Paleoecology and Social Evolution (IPHES) examined new fossil remains from the Gran Dolina cave at the Atapuerca archaeological site in Burgos, northern Spain. The assemblage includes cut‑marked skull, spine, limb bones and teeth from both adults and children belonging to the distant human ancestor Homo antecessor, which lived between 770,000 and 1.2 million years ago. The presence of stone‑tool cut marks on adult long bones, such as a forearm ulna and femur fragments, demonstrates that whole bodies were processed for food, extending earlier evidence of juvenile cannibalism at the site.

The finds raise the estimated number of individuals that occupied the cave to 13‑15, balancing the previously child‑biased sample and offering a clearer picture of the group’s social organization. The researchers plan further analysis of the cut‑mark patterns to explore age‑related treatment of the bodies and to better understand the social dynamics of this early hominin population.