Feb 10, 2025 12:00:00

It is revealed that ancient Europeans 18,000 years ago killed entire families and ate the 'brains' of their children

A study of human remains dating back about 18,000 years ago excavated in Poland has revealed that Europeans at the time had a social practice of cannibalism and were particularly fond of eating nutritious brains.

New insights of cultural cannibalism among Magdalenian groups at Maszycka Cave, Poland | Scientific Reports

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-025-86093-w

Ancient Europeans ate the brains of their dead enemies 18,000 years ago, researchers discover | Live Science
https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/ancient-europeans-ate-the-brains-of-their-dead-enemies-18-000-years-ago-researchers-discover

Frances Malginedas and colleagues from the Catalan Institute of Human Palaeoecology and Social Evolution (IPHES) in Spain published the results of a study of human bones excavated from the Masicka Cave in Poland in a paper published in the scientific journal Scientific Reports on February 6, 2025.

The remains of at least 10 people, including six adults and four children, have been found at this site, which is thought to belong to

the Magdalenian culture that flourished during the Late Paleolithic period 18,000 years ago. When the site was first investigated in the 1990s, it was noted that there were signs of butchery, but because no teeth marks were found, it was previously thought that the main purpose of the remains was funeral rites rather than cannibalism.

Research results show that there was once a culture in Europe of 'cannibalizing' corpses as a funeral - GIGAZINE

To investigate the true nature of the artificial processing of remains by the Madeleine culture, who left behind many ornaments and skull cups made from human bones, Marhinedas and his team of researchers carefully analyzed a total of 53 samples of remains, including 42 of the 50 previously reported samples and 11 previously unpublished samples, using a high-precision 3D microscope.

As a result, it was confirmed that 36 bones, or 68% of the remains, had artificial fractures or cut marks, confirming that the bones were not the result of carnivorous predation or accidental injury, and that 31 bones in particular had typical cut marks, such as a V-shaped cross section.

Additionally, evidence of how the remains had been handled indicated that they had been dismembered immediately after death, rather than waiting until the remains had decomposed or dried out.

Furthermore, an examination of 24 skull fragments determined that the marks were the result of scalping, shaving, and cutting off the ears and jaw, indicating that the destruction of the skull was intended to access the brain, a nutrient-rich organ, the researchers said.

Similarly, larger bones such as the femur and humerus showed signs of having been struck to extract fat- and calorie-rich marrow, leading the researchers to conclude that this systematic processing suggests that the remains were consumed in a way that prioritized the more nutritious parts.

'The location and number of cut marks, as well as the deliberate fracture of the skeleton, clearly indicate that the remains were consumed for nutritional purposes, refuting the hypothesis of a non-cannibalistic funerary treatment,' Malhindas said.


It is unclear why Europeans at that time engaged in cannibalism, but since the population was growing during the Madeleine period, it is highly unlikely that they were forced to eat human corpses to stave off hunger.

However, the remains were found dumped among the bones of butchered animals, evidence that the population had grown too large and violent fights broke out over territory and food.

'This suggests that the family may have been attacked, captured and then eaten,' the researchers wrote in their paper, citing the age structure of the remains, which resembled that of a nuclear family.