CÓRDOBA, SPAIN—According to a statement released by the Public Library of Science, researchers from the University of Bern and the University of Córdoba examined human remains found in the Cueva de los Marmoles, which is located in southern Spain. The remains came from at least 12 individuals, and have been dated from the fifth to second millennium B.C. Some of the bones had been broken and scraped, perhaps to remove tissue and extract marrow. Other bones, including a tibia that may have been used as a tool and a cranium that might have been used as a cup, were also identified. Similarly worked bones have been found at other cave sites in the southern Iberian Peninsula, the researchers explained. The bones may have been unearthed and modified for use for symbolic purposes, they added. Read the original scholarly article about this research in PLOS ONE. To read about evidence that early humans were tending fires 800,000 years ago in a cave in southern Spain, go to “Evolve and Catch Fire.”

Source: archaeology.org