Neanderthal Cannibalism at Moula-Guercy, Ardèche, France
Abstract
The cave site of Moula-Guercy, 80 meters above the modern Rhone River, was occupied by Neanderthals approximately 100,000 years ago. Excavations since 1991 have yielded rich paleontological, paleobotanical, and archaeological assemblages, including parts of six Neanderthals. The Neanderthals are contemporary with stone tools and faunal remains in the same tightly controlled stratigraphic and spatial contexts. The inference of Neanderthal cannibalism at Moula-Guercy is based on comparative analysis of hominid and ungulate bone spatial distributions, modifications by stone tools, and skeletal part representations.
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We thank the Ministère de la Culture et de la Communication; le Service Régional de l'Archéologie (DRAC Rhône-Alpes); Monsieur le Président du Conseil Général de l'Ardèche et le Vice-Président chargé de la Culture; Monsieur le Maire de Soyons et Monsieur le Conservateur du Musée Municipal; Fondation Singer-Polignac; Académie des Sciences de Paris; and D. DeGusta, H. Gilbert, L. Hlusko, J.-L. Arsuaga, J.-M. Carretero, F. C. Howell, N. Toth, and Y. Coppens.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Science
Volume 286 • Issue 5437 • 1 October 1999
Pages: 128 - 131
History
Received: 21 June 1999
Accepted: 26 August 1999
