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



75 



Fig. 18 A, Left scapula with the spine and part of the inferior blade of 

 M54059. There are many trampling marks mixed in with cut-marks, and it 

 is sometimes hard to distinguish them. Numerous scrapes occur in the 

 deeply concave angle between the spine and the infraspinous fossa, with 

 percussion marks on the edge of the inferior border. There are also 

 percussion marks and peeling on the acromion process. The scrape marks 

 are not straight, bending without interruption over and around curves in 

 the bone surface, and they cut across several incisions perpendicular to the 

 general trend of the scrapes, the cut-marks clearly preceding the scrapes. 

 In the angle between the acromion and the scapular neck, cranial 

 orientation, there are two oblique and deep incisions not visible on this 

 view but similar to the ones in M54056. B, Right scapula M54056. Two 

 incisions, one deep and the other shallow, are present in the angle between 

 the acromion and the neck of the scapula, and in addition several cut- 

 marks are present in the inferior angle of the scapular blace at the insertion 

 of teres major. A, x 0.9; B, x 0.65. 



sutures with the parietal bones, covering the insertion area of the 

 trapezius and sternocleidomastoid muscles (Figs 24D, 25B). Per- 

 cussion marks appear superimposed on cut-marks on the parietal 

 bones at both sides (Fig. 24C) and cuts appear interrupted by the 

 broken edges. Incipient peeling has been seen on the zygomatic 

 arches, and some removed flakes on the broken edges (i.e. left side of 

 the sphenoid bone and occipital bones). 



Summary of skulls. Total 5 specimens = 3 human and 2 cervid) 

 Cut-marks: 2 specimens (2 human) 

 Percussion: 2 specimens (2 human) 

 Removed flakes: 2 specimens (2 humans) 

 Peeling: 2 specimens (2 human) 



DISCUSSION 



Large mammal species diversity recorded at Gough's cave is quite 

 poor, with most remains assigned to three species of large mammals, 

 Homo sapiens, Equus ferus and Rangifer tarandus. 



The human skeletal element proportions are generally higher than 

 those of any of the other large mammals. Ribs and cranial remains 

 are the best represented for humans, but paradoxically, vertebrae are 

 rare, whereas for the animal bones ribs are almost absent but verte- 

 brae and especially phalanges and metapodials are much better 

 rbepresented. Phalanges in particular are not commonly represented 

 in human occupation sites. The relative abundances of anatomical 

 elements suggest a type of selection for large mammal skeletons for 

 heads and distal limbs, in contrast to human skeletons, for which 

 elements from the thorax (except vertebrae), heads and arms have 

 been selected. 



The cranial skeleton is the most extensively damaged anatomical 

 element, both in humans and large mammals (equids and cervids). 

 Human skulls and faces at Gough's Cave have a higher intensity of 

 cut-marks than are present on non-human animals, but contrasting 

 with this, two of the human skulls are almost complete. Skull 

 completeness differs greatly from site to site where cannibalism has 

 been considered to be nutritional (i.e. TD6- Aurora Stratum, Spain), 

 the Neandertal site of Moula-Guercy (France Defleur, etal, 1999), 

 or modern ones where fire is involved such as Native American sites 



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Fig. 19 A, lingual, and B, buccal views of deer mandible {Rangifer tarandus), M4982 1 . The buccal view shows numerous cut-marks along the diastema, 

 and the lingual view shows one and possibly two percussion marks near the alveolar border; both x 0.5. 



