Scientists from the University of Bern and the University of Cordoba discovered a bowl made from the skull of a prehistoric man in a cave in Spain. The research was published in the journal PLOS One.
Archaeologists examined human bones in the Marmoles cave, located about 70 kilometers southeast of Cordoba. The cave was inhabited by prehistoric people at various times and has been explored since the 1930s. Among the finds were a human tibia used as a tool and a glass made from the skull of a man aged 35-50. Overall, the bones found here date back to the 5th and 2nd millennia BC, roughly from the Neolithic period to the Bronze Age.
Scientists speculate that some bones were broken to extract bone marrow, a valuable source of nutrients, while others may have been turned into tools or weapons or used in rituals.
Microscopic analysis of the bones showed that many showed signs of deliberate damage, perhaps by scraping them to clear the marrow and remove remaining flesh. Judging by the polishing and grooves on some parts of the tibia, it was used as some kind of primitive tool.
Skull bowls have been found at many other Neolithic sites in southern Spain. Their use as drinking vessels is confirmed by analysis of the traces on the surface.
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