International research teams, including the University of Göttingen, have gained new insights into funerals in late Central and European Ice Age society. During the operation, signs of human remains in the Maszycka cave in southern Poland showed a systematic anatomy of the deceased as well as the cannibalism. The study was published in Scientific Reports.
The Maszycka cave in Poland was an important excavation site in the late Upper Paleolithic period. More than 100 years ago, researchers discovered human bones in stone and bone tools, as well as remains of ice-hunting animals. These findings are associated with an late Ice Age society in France, known as Magdalene, which existed between 20,000 and 14,500 years ago. Excavations in the 1960s produced more human remains, thus dating back to 18,000 years of 63 bones of ten people for examination. This is one of the most important collections of human remains in the late Paleolithic era.
The team identified 36 bone fragments using modern methods, suggesting that individuals were dissected immediately after death. Traces on the skull fragments indicate that muscle attachment and scalp removal is performed before smashing the long bones. Francesc Marginedas, first author from the Catalonian Institute of Paleoecology and Social Evolution, explained: “The location and frequency of cut marks and the target crushing of bones, no doubt their intention was to extract from the dead. Nutritional ingredients. Transparent
But how and why cannibalism happens here? Magdalene is known for its impressive art, such as Lascaux’s famous cave paintings. “During this period, extensive artistic evidence suggests favorable living conditions. Therefore, it seems unlikely to practice cannibal out of necessity. Marginedas added: “This could be an example of violent homosexualism. After the last ice age, population growth may have led to conflicts in resources and territoriality. And there is evidence of cannibalism isolated incidents related to violent conflict. Furthermore, the discovery of human remains mixed with precipitated fragments in the Maszycka cave suggests no respect for the dead. “The results help to improve our understanding of cultural development and group dynamics in late Ice Age societies.
Francesc Marginedas et al. New insights into cultural cannibalism among the Magdalinian group in Mezka cave in Poland. Scientific Reports (2025). doi: 10.1038/S41598-025-86093-W
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