New insights of cultural cannibalism amongst Magdalenian groups at Maszycka Cave, Poland
Abstract The manipulation of human corpses started to become commonplace during the Upper Paleolithic. This well-documented behavior among Magdalenian peoples consists of perimortem manipulation and the removal of soft tissues and has been understood as forming part of the cultural repertoire of mor...
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Nature Portfolio
2025-02-01
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| Series: | Scientific Reports |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-86093-w |
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| author | Francesc Marginedas Palmira Saladié Marta Połtowicz-Bobak Thomas Terberger Dariusz Bobak Antonio Rodríguez-Hidalgo |
| author_facet | Francesc Marginedas Palmira Saladié Marta Połtowicz-Bobak Thomas Terberger Dariusz Bobak Antonio Rodríguez-Hidalgo |
| author_sort | Francesc Marginedas |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract The manipulation of human corpses started to become commonplace during the Upper Paleolithic. This well-documented behavior among Magdalenian peoples consists of perimortem manipulation and the removal of soft tissues and has been understood as forming part of the cultural repertoire of mortuary actions. The study of these practices has given rise to several interpretations with the consumption of human flesh (cannibalism) occupying a central position. The human assemblage of Maszycka Cave (18,000 cal. BP) is part of this ongoing debate. Although initial research in the 1990s suggested cannibalism, more recent studies challenge this interpretation arguing that the low incidence of human activity rule out the likelihood of processing for the purpose of consumption and proposing skull selection as a funerary practice. This study reviews the assemblage and presents previously unpublished postcranial skeletal specimens along with evidence of whole-body manipulation for consumption. This behavior is also observed in other chronologically and culturally similar assemblages throughout continental Europe, suggesting that cannibalism was integral practice within the cultural systems of these Magdalenian groups. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-ef540d3f9abd47b9beb28ca1425453cb |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2045-2322 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-02-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Scientific Reports |
| spelling | doaj-art-ef540d3f9abd47b9beb28ca1425453cb2025-02-09T12:36:53ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222025-02-0115111510.1038/s41598-025-86093-wNew insights of cultural cannibalism amongst Magdalenian groups at Maszycka Cave, PolandFrancesc Marginedas0Palmira Saladié1Marta Połtowicz-Bobak2Thomas Terberger3Dariusz Bobak4Antonio Rodríguez-Hidalgo5Institut Català de Paleoecología Humana I Evolució Social (IPHES-CERCA)Institut Català de Paleoecología Humana I Evolució Social (IPHES-CERCA)Institute of Archaeology, University of RzeszówNiedersächsisches Landesamt Für DenkmalpflegeFoundation for Rzeszów Archaeological CentreConsejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Instituto de Arqueología-Mérida (CSIC-Junta de Extremadura)Abstract The manipulation of human corpses started to become commonplace during the Upper Paleolithic. This well-documented behavior among Magdalenian peoples consists of perimortem manipulation and the removal of soft tissues and has been understood as forming part of the cultural repertoire of mortuary actions. The study of these practices has given rise to several interpretations with the consumption of human flesh (cannibalism) occupying a central position. The human assemblage of Maszycka Cave (18,000 cal. BP) is part of this ongoing debate. Although initial research in the 1990s suggested cannibalism, more recent studies challenge this interpretation arguing that the low incidence of human activity rule out the likelihood of processing for the purpose of consumption and proposing skull selection as a funerary practice. This study reviews the assemblage and presents previously unpublished postcranial skeletal specimens along with evidence of whole-body manipulation for consumption. This behavior is also observed in other chronologically and culturally similar assemblages throughout continental Europe, suggesting that cannibalism was integral practice within the cultural systems of these Magdalenian groups.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-86093-w |
| spellingShingle | Francesc Marginedas Palmira Saladié Marta Połtowicz-Bobak Thomas Terberger Dariusz Bobak Antonio Rodríguez-Hidalgo New insights of cultural cannibalism amongst Magdalenian groups at Maszycka Cave, Poland Scientific Reports |
| title | New insights of cultural cannibalism amongst Magdalenian groups at Maszycka Cave, Poland |
| title_full | New insights of cultural cannibalism amongst Magdalenian groups at Maszycka Cave, Poland |
| title_fullStr | New insights of cultural cannibalism amongst Magdalenian groups at Maszycka Cave, Poland |
| title_full_unstemmed | New insights of cultural cannibalism amongst Magdalenian groups at Maszycka Cave, Poland |
| title_short | New insights of cultural cannibalism amongst Magdalenian groups at Maszycka Cave, Poland |
| title_sort | new insights of cultural cannibalism amongst magdalenian groups at maszycka cave poland |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-86093-w |
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