18,000-Year-Old Evidence of Human Brain Consumption Found in Poland's Maszycka Cave

New scientific research has uncovered compelling evidence that prehistoric humans practiced cannibalism—including the consumption of human brains—around 18,000 years ago in what is now southern Poland. The discovery, made at Maszycka Cave near Kraków, provides one of the clearest cases of Paleolithic cannibalism in Europe and offers new insight into the complex and sometimes violent lives of Magdalenian hunter-gatherers.

Clear Signs of Human Processing

Archaeologists examined hundreds of bone fragments originally excavated in the late 19th century and again in the 1960s. These remains had been stored for decades at the Archaeological Museum of Kraków. When researchers revisited the collection using modern techniques, they identified additional human bone fragments previously misclassified as animal remains.

Radiocarbon dating shows the bones are approximately 18,000 years old, placing them within the Magdalenian period—a culture known for sophisticated tools, elaborate artwork, and wide territorial expansion following the retreat of Ice Age glaciers.

A striking 68% of the human bones bore cut marks and fractures consistent with butchering. Skulls displayed deep incisions associated with the removal of scalp and facial tissues. Many were intentionally broken in ways that indicate access to the brain, one of the most nutrient-rich organs in the human body.

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