Il Principe’s Death Linked to Bear Mauling in 28,000-Year-Old Case
A Gravettian-era teenager buried in Italy nearly 28,000 years ago likely died after being mauled by a bear, according to a new forensic reanalysis of the famous burial known as Il Principe (“The Prince”). The study doesn’t just reaffirm a long-suspected idea, it adds claw and tooth-like marks to a broader pattern of crushing injuries, and even suggests the teen survived for a short time after the attack, hinting at care from others before death, reports Archaeology Magazine.
The research team revisited the remains of the richly buried adolescent from Arene Candide Cave in Liguria, northwest Italy, using detailed surface inspection and microscopic assessment of healing. Their conclusion: an animal mauling - most plausibly a brown bear (Ursus arctos) or extinct cave bear (Ursus spelaeus) - best fits the evidence.
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The Forensic Clues: Broken Face, Shoulder Trauma, and “Carnivore Signatures”
When Il Principe was excavated in 1942, archaeologists noted dramatic missing and damaged bones - especially around the jaw and left shoulder - prompting early speculation that a large animal attack could be responsible. But the new study systematically re-checks those injuries and looks for additional “signature” marks that violent encounters with carnivores sometimes leave behind.
Among the most persuasive evidence is a puncture-like lesion on the fibula consistent with a large tooth impression, plus a deep groove on the skull that the researchers argue is more consistent with carnivore activity than tools or post-burial damage. The overall injury pattern - thoraco-facial trauma, possible cervical damage, and localized “piercing” marks - fits an attack scenario better than a fall or interpersonal violence.
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A possible bear bite mark on the right fibula of Il Principe, with a close-up magnification highlighting the puncture. (Sparacello et al. 2025/Journal of Anthropological Sciences)
To place the event in context, Arene Candide is one of the western Mediterranean’s most important archaeological sites, known for long sequences of occupation and for burials spanning millennia. Il Principe stands out because the grave goods are extraordinary - suggesting the group marked his death as “exceptional,” for reasons we’re only beginning to understand.
A Few Days of Survival and a Burial That May Reflect the Trauma
One of the most human details in the new analysis is that the injuries may not have killed the teenager instantly. Microscopic evidence of early bone response in damaged areas suggests a brief survival window, possibly days, before he died. This implies he may have been carried back, protected, or treated by companions, even if no medicine could save him, asserts the report.
The burial itself is famously lavish: a bed of red ochre, hundreds of perforated shells and deer canines around the head, plus additional grave goods. The researchers note that yellow ochre was placed in the area where the injuries were most disfiguring, which early excavators interpreted as an attempt to “cover” the damage. Whether symbolic, practical, or both, it suggests the wound was visually striking even to people accustomed to the hazards of Ice Age life.
This case also feeds into a bigger puzzle: direct skeletal evidence of humans being attacked by wild animals in prehistory is surprisingly rare, even though we know Paleolithic people hunted dangerous fauna. That rarity makes Il Principe unusually valuable as a “forensic snapshot” of risk on the landscape.
Why Bears
The authors weigh which predator could plausibly have made the marks, focusing on large carnivores known from Late Pleistocene Italy. Their best-supported candidates are brown bear or cave bear, though they acknowledge limitations, especially since the bones are preserved and displayed, restricting invasive testing. Still, their “most parsimonious” explanation remains a bear mauling.
The case once again proves that museum collections still hold unresolved stories. An 80-year-old excavation can become front-page science again when new methods and new questions are brought to old bones.
Top image: Il Principe (Gravettian adolescent) display at Museo di Archeologia Ligure, Genoa. Source: Public domain
By Gary Manners
References
Anderson, S. 2026. Researchers Say This Paleolithic Teenage Boy Died a Slow Death After a Bear Mauled Him. Available at: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/researchers-say-this-paleolithic-teenage-boy-died-a-slow-death-after-a-bear-mauled-him-180988111/
Sparacello, V.S. 2025. New signs of skeletal trauma in the Upper Paleolithic Principe from Arene Candide Cave (Liguria, Italy) bear novel insights into the circumstances of his death. Available at: https://www.isita-org.com/jass/Contents/2025vol103/SparacelloV/41364101.pdf
Viegas, J. 2026. Stone Age teen buried in Italy died after bear attack 28,000 years ago, new forensic study finds. Available at: https://archaeologymag.com/2026/01/stone-age-teen-italy-bear-attack/
