Ancient Artifacts Unearthed in a Cave in Spain Dating back thousands of years BCE, they are truly treasures, but treasures that are shocking.
Writing in the scientific journal PLOS One, a research team from the University of Bern (Switzerland) and the University of Córdoba (Spain) revealed that the artifacts found in the cave are made from human bones, including a drinking cup crafted from a skull.
The skull cup found in a cave in Spain – (Photo: PLOS ONE).
“How humans treated and interacted with the remains of their kind – including manipulation, retrieval, and reburial – can teach us about the cultural and social aspects of past populations,” the authors stated.
According to Live Science, the chilling “treasure” in the Marmoles Cave was excavated from 12 ancient graves located within the cave, containing the remains of seven adults and five children. This cave has been inhabited by prehistoric people since around the fifth millennium BCE.
Marmoles Cave – (Photo: LIVE SCIENCE)
Microscopic analyses were conducted on the skull cup and other bone fragments from the ancient grave, revealing signs of intentional alteration.
For instance, the human skull cup was created by breaking multiple bones at the skull edges, which were then carefully scraped clean to remove flesh. It also shows signs of having been used to hold beverages afterward.
Similar skull cups have been found at several other Neolithic sites in southern Spain.
Many other bone fragments in the cave also indicate actions of flesh scraping and marrow extraction, suggesting that cannibalism may have occurred here. Other bones might have been used as tools, weapons, or for rituals.
Scientists could only determine that the remains were utilized after the victims had died, but the reasons remain unclear. It could have been an act of revenge, possession, or possibly a means of remembrance.
Ancient societies in what is now Spain are known to have complex cultural beliefs about the afterlife.
