Obscure reference
Posted on 08/12/2017 12:34:53 PM PDT by Openurmind
Abstract
Cut-marked and broken human bones are a recurrent feature of Magdalenian (~17–12,000 years BP, uncalibrated dates) European sites. Human remains at Gough’s Cave (UK) have been modified as part of a Magdalenian mortuary ritual that combined the intensive processing of entire corpses to extract edible tissues and the modification of skulls to produce skull-cups. A human radius from Gough’s Cave shows evidence of cut marks, percussion damage and human tooth marks, indicative of cannibalism, as well as a set of unusual zig-zagging incisions on the lateral side of the diaphysis. These latter incisions cannot be unambiguously associated with filleting of muscles. We compared the macro- and micro-morphological characteristics of these marks to over 300 filleting marks on human and non-human remains and to approximately 120 engraved incisions observed on two artefacts from Gough’s Cave. The new macro- and micro-morphometric analyses of the marks, as well as further comparisons with French Middle Magdalenian engraved artefacts, suggest that these modifications are the result of intentional engraving. The engraved motif comfortably fits within a Magdalenian pattern of design; what is exceptional in this case, however, is the choice of raw material (human bone) and the cannibalistic context in which it was produced. The sequence of the manipulations suggests that the engraving was a purposeful component of the cannibalistic practice, implying a complex ritualistic funerary behaviour that has never before been recognized for the Palaeolithic period.
(Excerpt) Read more at journals.plos.org ...
Long winter?
if it’s from 17,000 years ago in that part of the world, then YES!
Its obvious that throughout history, people did whatever was necessary to survive.
Cabin fever. Boredom. Their descendants eventually migrated to New England, sailed aboard whaling ships and perfected their art resulting in what is now known as scrimshaw.
Multiple saw marks. Only can hope victim was already dead.
That’s what I was thinking. 15 Kya would have been still during the ice age.
Yep, still during the ice age.
Same thing will happen during the NEXT ice age, probably only a few millennia away.
I define cannibalism as killing living humans for consumption. The creatures in the article being consumed probably were already dead.
From what I have been chasing down it could be as soon as a couple decades or less if we have some volcanic activity. And I think you are absolutely right, there probably was no choice in being moral, it was just the only thing to eat for survival. And I’m sure they were probably already dead. This has actually happened in survival situations a couple times in the past century. Brain stem Primal instincts outweigh all intelligent civilized thought at some point.
History
The initial sections of the cave, previously known as Sand Hole, were accessible prior to the 19th century. Between 1892 and 1898 Richard Cox Gough, who lived in Lion House in Cheddar, found, excavated and opened to the public further areas of the cave, up to Diamond Chamber, which is the end of the show cave today. Electric lighting was installed in the show caves in 1899.
The cave is susceptible to flooding often lasting for up to 48 hours, however in the Great Flood of 1968 the flooding lasted for three days.
The extensive flooded parts of the cave system were found and explored between 1985 and 1990.
The cave contained skeletal remains of both humans and animals, all showing cut-marks and breakage consistent with de-fleshing and eating. Skull fragments, representing from 5 to 7 humans, including a young child of about 3 years and two adolescents. The brain cases appear to have been prepared as drinking cups or containers, a tradition found in other Magdalenian sites across Europe.
In 1903 the remains of a human male, since named Cheddar Man, were found a short distance inside Gough's Cave. He is Britain’s oldest complete human skeleton, having been dated to approximately 7,150 years BCE. There is a suggestion that the man died a violent death, perhaps related to cannibalism, although this has not been proven. Mitochondrial DNA taken from the skeleton has been found to match that of Adrian Targett, a man living in the local area today, indicating that Cheddar Man is a very distant ancestor. The remains currently reside in the Natural History Museum in London, with a replica in the Cheddar Man and the Cannibals museum in the Gorge. Other human remains have also been found in the cave.
In 2007 a carving of a mammoth, estimated to be 13,000 years old, was found in the cave.
In 2010 further human bones from the cave were examined, which ultra-filtration carbon dating dated to around the end of the ice age 14,700 years ago. A second technique, using the Alicona 3D microscope, showed that the flesh had been removed from the bones using the same tools and techniques used on animal bones. According to Professor Chris Stringer of the Natural History Museum, this supports theories about cannibalism amongst the people living in or visiting the cave at that time.[11] In February 2011, the same team published an analysis of human skulls of the same date found at the cave around 1987, which they believe were deliberately fashioned into ritual drinking cups or bowls. Wikipedia
Wonder if they killed unborn babies....
Fascinating!, thank you! Did you read my article source paper? Pretty detailed data and study about similar.
Mr. Targett was not even the closest local match to Cheddar Man, but the two individuals who were closer were both children, so the media focused on him.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.