A new study of a cave used by prehistoric people in southern Spain has uncovered a mystifying set of practices involving possible cannibalism and the manipulation of dead bodies.
Scientists have studied the Cueva de los Marmoles (Marble Cave) since 1934, but the most recent effort by researchers from the University of Bern and the Universidad de Córdoba is the first comprehensive study of the human remains there. The analysis relies on 411 bone fragments collected from the site, along with 47 attached teeth and 10 loose ones. The pieces – including a “skull cup” forming the upper part of the cranium – raise as many questions as they answer.
