Archaeologists have uncovered a grisly discovery at a site in northern Spain, dating back around 850,000 years. A tiny vertebra found at the Gran Dolina site in Sierra de Atapuerca is believed to belong to a two- to four-year-old child from an extinct human species known as Homo antecessor.
The vertebra shows evidence of precision cutting, similar to meat being removed from animal bones. Other bones discovered at the site have marks characteristic of defleshing and intentional fracturing, indicating that the child was processed for food like any other prey. This find adds to previous discoveries that suggest these early humans exploited each other as a food source and possibly used territorial control.
In 1994, archaeologists first found evidence of human cannibalism at this site. The new discovery highlights the continuity of such behavior and suggests that the treatment of the dead was not exceptional but rather repeated. To better understand this history, scientists have also analyzed fossilized feces found at the site, which provide clues about who occupied it.
The excavation has revealed more secrets about these ancient humans’ lives and deaths. As Saladié explains, “Every year we uncover new evidence that forces us to rethink how they lived, how they died, and how the dead were treated nearly a million years ago.”
Source: https://www.iflscience.com/850000-year-old-remains-suggest-prehistoric-child-was-decapitated-and-eaten-by-its-own-kind-80164