CANNIBALISM IN BRITAIN: TAPHONOMY OF FAUNAL AND HUMAN REMAINS FROM GOUGH'S CAVE 



65 



with no ends (circumference category 1 and length category 1). In 

 contrast to this all animal tibiae have circumferences category 3 and 

 length between 1 and 2 (according to Villa and Mahieu, 1991 ). It is 

 apparent from this that the animal bones are preserved differently 

 from the human long bones. There are no cut-marks on the human 

 tibia fragment, but percussion marks are present. On the animal 

 bones, cuts appear on 5 of the 7 distal ends of tibiae. The cuts are 

 related to the articulation of the tibia with the tarsals, on the distal 

 ends (Fig. 3A), or on the posterior and/or anterior surfaces (Fig. 3B), 

 and all are related to dismembering the ankle joint. The distal end of 

 another equid tibia with a small part of the shaft shows cuts on the 

 lateral maleolus, probably also related to cutting the short and long 

 lateral ligaments when dismembering the foot. Another distal end 

 with a small part of the shaft of cervid also has cuts on the shaft, but 

 this time they appear on the opposite side of the shaft from percus- 

 sion marks (see below). 



With regard to fracture, the human tibia has peeling on one of the 

 ends and percussion impact scars on the edge of the longitudinal 

 breakage. This suggests there were several impacts on the bone to 

 open the bone longitudinally and expose the marrow. One of the 

 equid tibiae (GC'87-4, Fig. 3C) has a conchoidal scar on the poste- 

 rior midshaft and extensive percussion marks all round the shaft. 

 Two of the four cervid tibiae show percussion marks. One of them 

 (M50019) has percussion marks on the opposite side of cuts, which 

 suggests that the latter could be anvil marks as result of blows on the 

 bone. The other (M50017) has a flake removed on the lateral side 

 near the broken edge and a percussion impact mark on the plantar 

 side, near the articulation (Fig. 3A). M50017 has also trampling 

 marks running transversally. 



Summary of tibiae. Total 8 specimens 1 human, 3 equid, 4 cervid 



Cut-marks: 5 specimens (2 equid, 3 cervid) (1 each of cervid and 



equid from the 1987 collections) 



Percussion marks: 3 specimens (1 human, 1 equid from the 1987 



collections) 



Conchoidal scars: 1 specimen (equid from the 1987 collections) 



Removed flakes: 1 specimen (cervid) 



Peeling: 1 specimen (human from the 1987 collections) 



Fig. 4 A, Left calcaneus M50029 of Equusferus. Much of the calcis has 

 been damaged by extensive percussion marks on both sides, and there is 

 a cluster of cut-marks along the upper edge just posterior to he articular 

 surface. B, Medial view of left astragalus of Equusferus, M49843. Cut- 

 marks are present in three clusters, one on the medial edge of the medial 

 condyle, the second on the medial surface of the body, both seen here, 

 and the third on the upper edge of the lateral condyle. Both figures. 

 x0.9. 



Long bones (indet.): There are three fragments of long bones two 

 of them identified as humans and the third as cervid, though the 

 anatomical elements could not be specified. One of the human split 

 shafts has oblique cuts and percussion marks on the edge of the 

 fracture. The cervid shaft is formed by two longitudinally split 

 fragments, having several cuts running transversally along the edge, 

 and an adhered flake between the joint fracture of both fragments. 



Anatomical elements: hands and feet 



Calcaneus: There are eight calcanei, seven of them are from 

 equids and only one of cervid. Cut-marks are present on five speci- 

 mens (4 equids and 1 cervid): 

 4 on the lateral side of the calcaneus along the plantar and the dorsal 



surfaces (4 equids) 

 2 on the upper edge of the calcis (2 equids) 

 1 on the medial side distally and on upper surface (equid) 

 1 on the dorsal side close to the articulation with the astragalus ( 1 



cervid) 



Cuts are related to plantar ligament and lateral and medial liga- 

 ments, with the cutting directed at dismembering the ankle joint. 



Four calcanei are chewed, three of them very heavily (Fig. 4A). 

 Puncture marks are superimposed over cut-marks and percussion 

 marks on one of these calcanei (M50029), which indicates that 



carnivore activity occurred after human. Chewing marks are pits on 

 the surface (type a, average 2.0mm, N = 6), grooves on surface (type 

 b, average 1 .6mm, N = 7) and only one of type c ( 1 .5 mm) and one of 

 type h (3mm). 



Summary of calcanei. Total 8 specimens, 7 equid, 1 cervid 

 Cut-marks: 5 specimens (4 equids, 1 cervids). 

 Percussion: 1 specimen (1 equid) 



Astragalus: there are ten specimens of equid astragali (left 5, right 

 5, MNI 5) and five cervid astragali. Nearly all specimens are com- 

 plete. Cut-marks are present on five of the equid astragali and two of 

 the cervid astragali: 

 5 astragali have cuts on the medial condyle, medial side (3 equids and 



2 cervids) 

 4 astragali have cuts on the medial surface of the body, and on the 



proximal and/or distal tuberosities (2 equids, 2 cervids) 

 2 astragali have cuts on the central trochlear ridge ( 1 equid, 1 cervid) 



1 equid astragalus has cuts on the lateral condyle, medial side 



2 astragali have cuts on the lateral side of the lateral condyle ( 1 equid, 



1 cervid) 

 1 equid astragalus has cuts on the posterior surface of the body. 



Cut-marks are most abundant at the medial condyle and medial 

 surface of the body (Fig. 4B). The medial surface bears on its distal 

 part a large tuberosity and on its proximal part a smaller one for the 



