Skull cup

No one lived in Britain 20,000 years ago because the region was largely covered by ice. As the climate warmed about 15,000 years ago, plants, animals and humans began to return.

This skull belongs to a group of hunter-gatherers who migrated into Britain from nearby mainland Europe. At that time, the climate was only beginning to warm up, so there was still a lot of water held in the ice caps. This meant that sea levels were lower and it was possible to walk from mainland Europe to Britain.

The skull is one of a number of human bones, belonging to adults and children, found in Gough's Cave in Somerset, UK. Many of the bones show clear evidence of cannibalism. For example, shoulder bones and ribs were cracked open and gnawed to extract marrow, and skulls were shaped into cups or bowls. Scientists believe these people could have been cannibalised as part of a ritual practice.

This skull cup shows clear cut marks and dents, revealing it was thoroughly cleaned of any soft tissue shortly after death. After the bones of the face and the base of the skull were removed, it was painstakingly shaped into a cup.

Gough's Cave therefore provides a fascinating insight into the culture of the modern humans (Homo sapiens) who lived there around 14,700 years ago.

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