Neanderthals Beat Up Their Deceased Brethren: Study

A bizarre new study shows that Neanderthals used to beat up their deceased brethren, cutting, beating and fracturing their bones as part of some strange ritual.

That's at least according to the fossil remains of two adults and a child found at the Marillac site in the French region of Poitou-Charentes. Since the site was first unearthed, scientists have identified it as an ancient hunting area for Neanderthals (Homo neanderthalensis), given the plethora of human and animal fossils found there - along with Mousterian tools.

However, the most interesting discovery has been of the bone remains of these hominids.

For the first time, scientists analyzed the fragments of three individuals found between 1967 and 1980 at the French site, dating back some 57,600 years. They include an incomplete diaphysis (middle part of long bones) of a right radius, another of a left fibula and the majority of a right femur - the latter belonging to a child aged 9-10. When these remains were compared to those of other Neanderthals and modern humans, the scientists confirmed not only the strength and rounded form of Neanderthal bones, but they also identified intriguing markings on the bones made very shortly after the individuals' death.

"Some Neanderthal groups cut and tore apart child or adult corpses shortly after death (perimortem) using lytic instruments," María Dolores Garralda, the study's main author, explained in a statement.

For instance, the child's femur fragment shows two large cut marks half a centimeter apart, suggesting that the bone was fractured when still fresh. This means right after the child's death, someone was trying to separate the upper and lower extreme of the femur, where the joints are located. (Scroll to read on...)