Wikimedia CommonsEarly humans who inhabited Europe and Western Asia, Neanderthals went extinct about 40,000 years ago.Roughly 45,000 years ago, one group of Neanderthals in present-day Belgium killed and cannibalized another group made up of vulnerable women and children, according to grisly evidence uncovered in Goyet Caves.These caves were first explored by archaeologists in the latter half of the 19th century. The caves were eventually found to hold more than 100 Neanderthal bone fragments, though it long proved difficult to conduct a detailed analysis of these remains.But now, with the help of DNA analysis, radiocarbon dating, isotopic measurements, and virtual reconstructions, researchers were able to construct biological profiles of the six individuals whose remains were found in the cave. Sure enough, the bone fragments all showed cut marks and intentional breakage similar to those found on the bones of animals that were killed and eaten.The Cannibal Attack That Killed Six Neanderthals In Belgiums Goyet CavesQ. Cosnefroy et al./Scientific ReportsThe bones of the victims revealed that the adult women who were targeted were shorter than average.A new study published in Scientific Reports found that, of the six individuals that researchers identified, four of them were adult females and two were male children. They also determined that the adult women were not related to each other.However, there was something about the adults in this group that set them apart from other Neanderthals who lived near Belgiums Goyet Caves. These adult females all were shorter and had smaller builds than the average Neanderthal woman.With this information in hand, researchers compared their results with an existing isotopic analysis from a previous study. They soon found that both the adult females and the children were not from Goyet, but instead from a completely different region.Researchers then determined that the death and consumption of this small group of Neanderthals by the Neanderthals from Goyet was an example of exocannibalism, or the cannibalism of one group by a different group.We cannot determine exactly why these individuals were targeted, but the composition of the assemblage four adult females and two immature individuals is too specific to be accidental, lead author Quentin Cosnefroy told Live Science.Researchers theorized that these smaller women and children may have been targeted because they were the weaker members of a neighboring population. Its also possible they were killed as a way to try and stop a competing population from reproducing.It is also still unclear whether this group all came from the same region outside of Goyet and were cannibalized in a single event, or if they all came from different areas and were killed at separate times.How Exocannibalism Fits Into The Larger History Of Late European NeanderthalsThilo Parg/Wikimedia Commons License: CC BY-SA 4.0More than 100 Neanderthal bone fragments were found inside Goyet Caves.The timing of this cannibal attack, between 41,000 and 45,000 years ago, is also significant.During this period, Homo sapiens began to spread throughout the European continent, and may have already been present in Goyet by the time these individuals were killed. In fact, its not exactly clear whether the perpetrators were Neanderthals or early Homo sapiens.However, researchers do know that it was relatively uncommon for cannibalism among Homo sapiens to be connected to anything other than funerary rituals. This may suggest that the killers were indeed Neanderthals.Researchers believe its unlikely that the six cannibalized individuals were consumed for ritual purposes. For one thing, researchers uncovered the nearby bones of animals that were surely hunted and eaten, and they showed similar butchering marks to those found on the human remains.Furthermore, there is prior recorded evidence of survival cannibalism among Neanderthals in France and Croatia. Perhaps, in this case, the cannibalism was due to inter-group competition.Nevertheless, its possible that as Homo sapiens began to become more common in territories previously occupied only by Neanderthals, the latter group may have begun to get more territorial, and that this may have been the impetus for the macabre cannibal incident that unfolded some 45,000 years ago.After reading about the Neanderthal women and children who were cannibalized 45,000 years ago, see the evidence of prehistoric cannibalism found in a Polish cave. Then, learn about the oldest evidence of early human cannibalism.The post Researchers In Belgium Just Uncovered Evidence Of Brutal Cannibalism Against Neanderthals 45,000 Years Ago appeared first on All That's Interesting.