There is an ancient
Gough’s Cave, which was formed around 500,000 years ago, is located in Cheddar Gorge, which is made of limestone (not
But among these features of natural history are archaeological materials related to human habitation from around 14,700 years ago, and some of this evidence paints a picture of an ancient practice that we tend to like to forget about.
Within Gough’s Cave, archaeologists have recovered remains of several people, including two teenagers and a child who was around 3 years old. Their bones appear to show strong evidence of
According to Dr Silvia Bello, from the
The
But one of the most interesting aspects of this find is something that’s conspicuous in its absence. There does not appear to be any sign of violence on the remains prior to death. It seems the people were not likely killed as a result of conflict, despite their seemingly grisly end. So what’s going on here?
Cannibalism: cruelty or compassion?
Well, there are two potential explanations. The first is that this is an example of the kind of cannibalistic act we think of today – a cruel and
To be sure, the subject of cannibalism can be hard to swallow. Our pop culture references tend to focus on
Our
The individuals found in the cave would have died during the last
As grim as it seems, using skulls as containers is relatively well known among many past cultures. The
“The skulls were scrupulously cleaned of soft tissue shortly after death. Marks show cutting of the lips, cheeks and tongue, and extraction of the eyes. Then the bones of the face and the base of the skull were carefully removed. Finally the cranial vaults were meticulously shaped into cups,” Bello explained.
The care taken to prepare these skulls suggest they held significance beyond simply being used for nutrition. Equally, 3D analysis of an engraved forearm bone found in the cave also suggests that it was marked after the meat had been removed.
This, for Bello and her colleagues, is significant. “The sequence of the modifications made to the bone strongly suggests that the engraving was an intrinsic part of the cannibalistic ritual and held hidden symbolic meaning.”
You can learn more about the role of cannibalism as a funerary practice