A study published in the journal Journal of Archaeological Science with the involvement of the Universidad de Granada and the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas supports the theory that cannibalism in southern Iberia during the Neolithic was partly rooted in cultural and social factors. The research team analysed nearly 1,000 human bone remains from the caves Malalmuerzo (Moclín), Carigüela (Píñar) and Majolicas (Alfacar) in the province of Granada. According to accompanying statements from CSIC and the university, the study was published in early September 2026.
At the heart of the approach is the combination of direct radiocarbon dates with a taphonomic analysis of cut, breakage and burning marks. The chronology shows that the interventions did not happen continuously, but in separate episodes. At the same time, the patterns of processing differ markedly between the three sites.
At Malalmuerzo, closely grouped early Neolithic dates, a demographic profile resembling that of a living population, and evidence of blunt-force trauma to the skull suggest a brief, concentrated episode of violence followed by the systematic processing of the bodies. At Carigüela, the researchers document repeated interventions on the skull; the findings are consistent with the manufacture of drinking vessels from cranial vaults. By contrast, Majolicas shows less unequivocal evidence of violence, but does have pigmented bones and signs more suggestive of ritual practices.
The authors stress that the traces cannot be interpreted uniformly as a response to famine. Rather, the chronological separation and variation in processing methods point to different social or ritual motives—from acts of violence to forms of remembrance for the deceased within the group. The study thus challenges simplistic interpretations that prehistoric cannibalism served primarily as food in times of need.
Key questions remain about the composition of the communities affected, the specific social mechanisms involved and the geographical reach of these practices. The team calls for further interdisciplinary analyses, including isotope studies and the examination of ancient DNA, to establish dietary habits, mobility and kinship ties more precisely. For the archaeology of southern Spain, however, the study provides a clear finding: in and around Granada cannibalism in the Neolithic is evidenced as a recurring, culturally framed behaviour, whose forms and meanings varied according to place and time.
Editor: Andreas M. Brucker (Article created with AI assistance).