Researchers have discovered surprising traces in a Belgian cave: some Neanderthals appeared to be specially selected, killed and processed like prey animals.
New analysis conducted by an international research team paints an unusual picture of Neanderthals in Northern Europe. In the Troisième Goyet cave in Belgium, scientists found the remains of at least six Neanderthals that showed clear signs of recent surgery, incision marks and bone fractures, according to Scientific Reports. Researchers assume that the bones were processed like animal remains – an indication of cannibalism.
Targeted selection: Small and graceful women are particularly affected
According to the study, it is surprising that four of these adult individuals were females who were significantly smaller and physically more graceful than any other known Neanderthal. Genetic analysis, bone structure comparisons, and isotope measurements suggest that these individuals are not local and may have come from neighboring groups. According to Scientific Reports, statistical models show that this composition is unlikely to have arisen by chance.
Investigations also showed that two very young people were also affected – a child and a newborn baby. At least one of the children had scars, which the researchers said clearly confirmed the presence of man-made editing.
Researchers saw evidence of conflict between groups
The study authors argue that the pattern strongly suggests exocannibalism – the killing and processing of individuals who do not belong to their own social group. According to the Scientific Report, the combination of non-local origin, uniform diet, lack of kin, and the physically weaker appearance of the people could indicate intergroup violence, territorial conflict, or strategic attacks.
The researchers also do not rule out that the alleged cannibalism served to weaken the reproductive abilities of rival groups – a behavior known from other prehistoric and ethnographic contexts. This study provides new insights into the social dynamics of late Neanderthals and suggests that intergroup conflict may have been more complex than previously thought.
Goyet’s new findings raise questions not only about violence and conflict, but also about Neanderthal cultural and intellectual ideas. How extensive are their social practices – and do they even have religious rituals?
Did Neanderthals have a religion? What do researchers know about it at the moment
The results of the current study show that Neanderthals exhibited much more complex behavior than previously thought. Archaeological evidence of rituals, burials, and symbolic acts raises the question of whether these early humans developed some form of spirituality. Some scholars consider ritual practices possible, but emphasize that reliable evidence regarding religious ideas is still missing. This was reported, among others, by “Live Science”.
Other experts argue that although social and cultural structures can be attributed to Neanderthals, the neurocognitive prerequisites for a distinctive religious symbolic language may not have been fully present.
