Cannibalism and burial at Krapina

Trinkaus, Erik

doi:10.1016/s0047-2484(85)80007-5

Cited by 80 publications

(48 citation statements)

References 17 publications

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“…Trinkaus (1985) studied the broken human bones at Krapina and determined that they had not been broken in order to extract marrow, as had been believed, but had been crushed by the fall and pressure of overlying rock. Russell (1987) reexamined the cranial and post-cranial bones from Krapina and inferred that the tool marks were incised long after the flesh had decomposed, suggesting that the tool marks were the result of an effort to clean the bones of the remnants of adhering flesh.…”

Section: Of the Mousterian Symbol Systems Occasionally Discussed In Cmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evolution of the human capacity: The symbolic evidence

Marshack

1989

Am. J. Phys. Anthropol.

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Rare instances of symboling and problem-solving in the archaeological record of the European Acheulian and Mousterian suggest highly evolved potentially variable hominid capacities. These are aspects of capacity not evidenced in the lithic industries and habitation site complexes, and they cannot be determined from studies of comparative morphology or genetic distance. This sparse artifactual evidence cannot be quantified and is, in fact, statistically insignificant. Nevertheless, the internal cognitive contents and complexity evident in these unique materials reveal the presence of highly evolved skills and conceptual capacities involving the evaluation and use of diverse materials and processes. They also reveal a capacity for planning and mapping or modeling the territory and culture in time and space. Significantly, the evidence for these behaviors is richer in Europe during these early periods than in other areas of late hominid presence, including the Middle East and Africa where forms of anatomically modern humans were developing. It is possible that these early European efforts represent incipient and preparatory innovations that in some measure led to the regional "creative explosion" of the following European Upper Paleolithic. It is suggested that hominization selected for certain types and classes of problem-solving and symboling capacity and that the Neanderthals and anatomically modern humans each represent progressive advances over the evolved erectus capacity and its cultural manifests. It is also suggested that these late hominid capacities ultimately and evolutionarily derive from still earlier potential and variable problemsolving and conceptual capacities comparable to those found among the great apes.

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Section: Of the Mousterian Symbol Systems Occasionally Discussed In Cmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evolution of the human capacity: The symbolic evidence

Marshack

1989

Am. J. Phys. Anthropol.

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“…Genuine prehistoric breakage has been attributed to sedimentary pressure and/or to natural rockfalls that occurred several times during the cave's prehistory (Trinkaus, 1985). Trinkaus (1985) noted that the pattern of fractures seen in the Krapina collection resembles that seen in Neandertal burials that were crushed in situ by sediment weight (e.g., Shanidar 1, 4, 5, and 6 (Trinkaus, 1983) and Tabun C1 (McCown and Keith, 1939).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Middle Paleolithic tools were associated with the hominid remains GorjanoviC-Kramberger, 1913;Malez, 1970~). The Krapina hominids are commonly considered a sample of an archaic European population of Homo sapiens informally known as Neandertals (Campbell, 1964;Brace, 1962Brace, , 1964Smith, 1976;Day, 1977;Wolpoff, 1979Wolpoff, , 1980Trinkaus, 1975Trinkaus, , 1983Trinkaus, , 1985.The external surfaces of Pleistocene bone from Krapina are often well preserved and intact, but most specimens are very fragmentary. The relatively complete hominid vaults (crania A, B, C, and E) are reconstructed from scores of small pieces.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Bone breakage in the Krapina hominid collection

Russell

1987

American J Phys Anthropol

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The fragmentary condition of the Krapina Neandertal remains has been offered as one line of evidence for the hypothesis that these hominids were the victims of cannibals seeking marrow and brains. Two other hypotheses regarding the causes of the framentation have been raised: a substantial portion of the breakage in the Krapina collection is attributable to excavation damage; and the rest of the breakage is attributable to sedimentary pressure and to natural rock falls that occurred during the site's prehistory. The purpose of this paper is report on tests of these three hypotheses concerning the cause of breakage in the Krapina material. Microscopic inspection of all Krapina hominid specimens showed that 23% of the material was inadvertantly broken during excavation or during quarrying that took place at the end of the last century. The morphology of the prehistoric breakage is inconsistent with the cannibalism hypothesis and supports the hypothesis that prehistoric breakage was caused by sedimentary pressure and/or roof falls.

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“…stopped in the shelter exhausted' and eventually died there. Supporting Bocquet-Appel and Arsuaga's case, the Krapina human MNI, age profi le, and body part representation (Trinkaus 1985(Trinkaus , 1995 are indeed similar to those seen at the SH, which, thus, would be exceptional only in the degree of concentration of the fi nds; moreover, the Krapina body part representation pattern matches that of Middle Palaeolithic burials, suggesting that the human bones entered the site as complete corpses. This observation, however, has led most commentators to interpret the Krapina assemblage as originally formed by intentional burial, whether primary or secondary (the latter based on controversial cut mark evidence ;Russell 1987 ;Orschiedt 2008 ), not as resulting from a catastrophic event.…”

Section: The Sima De Los Huesosmentioning

confidence: 61%

Lower and Middle Palaeolithic Mortuary Behaviours and the Origins of Ritual Burial

Zilhão¹

2015

Death Rituals, Social Order and the Archaeology of Immortality in the Ancient World

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Cannibalism and burial at Krapina

Cited by 80 publications

References 17 publications

Evolution of the human capacity: The symbolic evidence

Evolution of the human capacity: The symbolic evidence

Bone breakage in the Krapina hominid collection

Lower and Middle Palaeolithic Mortuary Behaviours and the Origins of Ritual Burial

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