The 'skull cup' was found in a cave where ancient humans modified the bones of the dead for thousands of years. But its function remains unclear.
Previous research has shown that caves were used as burial sites by ancient humans in the southern Iberian Peninsula—the stretch of land in southwestern Europe that is divided up between Spain and Portugal—over long periods of time. It appears that this practice became particularly common around the 4th millennium B.C.
They also described an"intriguing" modified bone that they described as a"skull cup"—which was made from the upper part of a human cranium. The cranium showed evidence that it had been detached using careful strokes along its perimeter. The purpose for which the skull cup was created or its symbolic significance remains somewhat of a mystery.
Trepanation is a practice that involves drilling or scraping a hole into the human skull. There is evidence of trepanation stretching all the way back to prehistoric times and the practice has been documented in various parts of the world. In some cases, trepanation was used as a medical intervention, but it may also have had spiritual or ritual purposes.
These behaviors may have been aimed at mediating the transition between the realms of life and death, according to the researchers. More generally, they may have been linked to the need of the living to physically and symbolically manage the dead.
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