A study published in the journal Scientific Reports, on November 19, analyzed bone fragments found in Goyet Cave, southern Belgium, and showed that adult women and children were the target of selective cannibalism that occurred about 45,000 years ago.
The researchers were able to identify for the first time the biological profile of the victims, which helped to better understand what happened in this scenario.
Analysis indicates that these people came from outside the local community. The conclusion came from a combination of genetic, chemical and morphological data that point to geographical origins different from those associated with the group that occupied Goyet.
This reinforces the interpretation that they were transported to the site and consumed as food, rather than in a ritual context, as the marks observed on the bones resemble those left during the processing of hunted animals.
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How did researchers reach the victims?
The group of bones found in Goyet Cave has been known since the end of the 19th century, but understanding of their origin has only advanced in recent years. A new phase of study made it possible to reassemble some of the fragments and determine that they belong to at least six Neanderthals.
The reconstruction showed that four were adult or adolescent women and two were boys. The women were not related to each other and had a shorter stature and lighter physique than the pattern observed in other Neanderthal groups.
How the bodies got to the cave is still under investigation. The fragments found correspond mainly to the legs of the victims, raising hypotheses about the transportation and processing of the bodies.
Researchers believe that these people were transported alive to the area or were killed nearby, with only selected parts of the bodies found in the room being studied.
The team also compared this information with isotopic analyzes performed previously. The results showed that all individuals had a similar diet, but they grew up in different areas than the area in which they died. Combined, genetic, chemical and physical markers allow us to be sure that they were outsiders and that they were probably captured by another group.
Signs of intergroup conflict
Research suggests that this condition fits with the concept of cannibalism, when members of one group consume members of another community. For the authors, the choice of women and children does not seem accidental.
The pattern in the bones reinforces that there was intent in selecting victims, perhaps related to conflict dynamics and competition over territory or resources.
The period of these events was marked by profound changes in Northern Europe. According to the authors, there was great cultural diversity among the Neanderthals themselves and an increasing presence of Neanderthals Homo sapiens In neighboring areas. Contact between different groups may have generated tensions, especially if they were seen as rivals.
Since Goyet’s Neanderthals were among the last humans in the region, this scenario may have contributed to the reduction of this population.
It remains unclear who consumed the six individuals. Evidence of ritual cannibalism appears most often in contexts associated with the Early Period Homo sapienswhile signs of cannibalism are more common at Neanderthal sites in France and Croatia.
However, today the Goyette assemblage is considered one of the strongest evidence for conflicts between Neanderthal groups at the end of the Pleistocene.
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