Bone-chilling new study uncovered a grisly chapter of prehistory in a Belgian cave
A study of Neanderthal bones has found evidence of ‘light, selective’ cannibalism targeting women and girls some 40-odd thousand years ago.
The bone-chilling new study uncovered a grisly chapter of prehistory in a Belgian cave after researchers combed through shattered skeletons.
The investigation came across fresh-bone fractures, percussion marks and cut traces identical to those left on hunted animal carcasses – all unmistakable hallmarks of butchery.
Published in Scientific Reports, the investigation caps a decade of detective work by an international team from the CNRS, the Université de Bordeaux and Aix-Marseille.
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They reanalysed findings from the Troisième caverne of Goyet – a famous site in northern Europe – with cutting-edge tools.
Ancient DNA identified at least six individuals, radiocarbon to nail down the timeline, isotopes to trace where the victims came from, and even virtual reconstructions to piece together bones smashed to splinters.
The study showed the victims were mostly adult females and children, while genetic clues suggest they weren’t locals but were outsiders who were likely brought to the cave and consumed for food.
That selective brutality, the authors argue, may reflect Stone Age territorial tensions as Neanderthal groups jostled for space and resources during a turbulent period – a time when the region buzzed with diverse Neanderthal cultures and the first modern humans were edging into nearby regions.
It’s a stark, sobering window into a world where survival was cut-throat and “not from around here” could be a fatal label.
While cannibalism among Neanderthals wasn’t universal, Goyet’s latest revelations lay bare just how brutal life on the Ice Age frontier could be – and how the pressures of the era may have pushed communities to horrifying extremes.
