Spanish caves reveal repeated cannibalism, from violence to skull cups

Ancient human remains from three caves in southern Spain are revealing a disturbing but complex chapter in Europe’s prehistoric past. Researchers examined nearly 1,000 human bones from Malalmuerzo, Carigüela and Majolicas caves in Granada, finding evidence that people cut, fractured, chewed and deliberately modified human remains during different periods of the Neolithic. The findings suggest cannibalism was not one continuous tradition, but a practice that appeared repeatedly in different contexts over thousands of years, offering clues about prehistoric violence, death and ritual.Ancient Spanish caves preserve evidence of repeated cannibalismThe remains come from three caves in Granada that have provided archaeologists with evidence of prehistoric human activity for decades.