Granada caves research reveals recurring Neolithic cannibalism

An international research team, co-led by the Instituto de Arqueología de Mérida (IAM) and the Institut Català de Paleoecologia Humana i Evolució Social (IPHES-CERCA), has determined that cannibalism was a recurring practice in southern Iberia during the Neolithic period.

Published in the Journal of Archaeological Science, the study analyzed approximately one thousand human bone remains from three caves in Granada: Malalmuerzo, Carigüela, and Majolicas. Using radiocarbon dating, microscopy, and advanced taphonomic analysis, researchers were able to reconstruct the timing and nature of these episodes with unprecedented precision.

The findings indicate that cannibalism was not a uniform or singular event, but rather a series of recurrent episodes separated by time and linked to diverse social contexts and motivations. Evidence suggests different drivers for these practices, ranging from collective violence to ritual manipulation or funerary treatments, a pattern consistent with observations in other European regions.