Neanderthals Practiced Cannibalism 45,000 Years Ago: New Discovery in Belgium.

Studying Ancient Cannibalism in Belgium

According to ТСН: Researchers have found that systematic acts of cannibalism were practiced in present-day Belgium around 45,000 years ago, targeting the most vulnerable members of Neanderthal communities.

New data published in the journal Scientific Reports sheds light on a dark chapter of prehistoric European history.

The research was conducted in the Goyet Cave, an important site for paleoanthropology in Northern Europe. Scientists analyzed 101 bone fragments that belonged to at least six Neanderthals. About a third of the findings show signs of purposeful processing: cuts, strikes, and characteristic notches indicating meat removal and bone breaking.

The researchers were particularly struck by the demographics of the victims. No adult males were identified; all remains belonged to children, infants, and small-statured women.

Such demographic selectivity is unlikely to be coincidental and indicates a deliberate attack on the least protected members of alien groups,” noted researcher from CNRS Isabelle Crevecoeur.

Further analysis using genetic studies, isotopic tests, and morphology revealed that these individuals were not local. This indicates exocannibalism—consumption of members of other communities. Additionally, marks on the bones suggest that the bodies were not only eaten but also carefully processed, breaking bones to obtain marrow.

Parallels with the Modern Animal World

Similar behavior can be observed in modern animals. For example, chimpanzees during conflicts between groups also attack the infants of competitors, leading to the weakening of neighboring populations. In the late Paleolithic, under conditions of rapid decline in Neanderthal numbers, such clashes could have significantly accelerated their disappearance.

It remains unclear who carried out these violent acts. Some scientists believe that they could have been early representatives of Homo sapiens, who began to actively populate Northern Europe during this period. However, paleontologist Patrick Semal and his colleagues express the assumption of conflicts between different groups of Neanderthals. They think that some victim bones were used as tools for processing stone implements, which is characteristic of Neanderthal culture.

Conclusions of the Research

Despite the alarming findings, this study contributes to the overall context of human evolutionary history. Genetic data suggests that Neanderthals did not disappear without a trace—over millennia, Homo sapiens not only competed with them but also engaged in genetic contacts. This is why fragments of Neanderthal DNA can be found in the genomes of modern humans.

The history of the Goyet Cave shows the complex reality of the ancient world—a harsh competition for survival, intertwined with processes that led to genetic continuity between species.