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



81 



Similarly, peeling only occurs on lightly built long bones (e.g.: 

 human radii and ulnae) with low marrow content. Most large long 

 bones show strong percussion marks that occur extensively along the 

 shafts to extract the marrow content in the bone. Long bones have 

 cut-marks related to dismembering activities (filleting in humans) 

 and periosteum removal shown by the location of scraping marks. 

 Flat bones (human scapulae and horse pelves) are intensively dam- 

 aged in areas of strong muscle attachment. Human metapodials also 

 show similarities with lateral metapodials of equids, both of which 

 have crushed articular ends. 



Taking into account the high similarities in butchering techniques 

 seen on both human and non-human bones, further similar patterns 

 of long bone breakage for marrow extraction, and identical patterns 

 of post-processing discard of human and animal remains in the 

 Gough's Cave sediments, we conclude that this is a case of nutri- 

 tional cannibalism. 



Acknowledgements. We are grateful to Chris Stringer, Andrew Currant 

 and Robert Jacobi for offering us the study of Gough's Cave fossil assem- 

 blage, and for help and information about the site and the fauna. The study was 

 supported by the European Communities grant (ENV4-CT96-5043) toYFJ. 



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