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A young man buried 5,000 years ago on Bulgaria’s Black Sea coast appears to be one of the earliest known human survivors of a lion attack in southeastern Europe. New analysis of his skeleton suggests that lions lived in the Balkans during the Copper Age and sometimes came dangerously close to human settlements.
The study, led by Nadezhda Karastoyanova and published in the Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, links distinctive bite marks on the skeleton to a lion.
Study ties grave to rare predator encounter
The remains were uncovered in Grave 59 at Kozareva Mogila, a mound near modern Burgas. The burial belongs to the Late Eneolithic and dates to the late fifth millennium B.C. The man, about 18 to 25 years old, was placed on his left side in a crouched position. No grave goods were found.
Despite fragmentation, most bones were still in anatomical order. Anthropologists reconstructed large portions of the skull, spine, and limbs. They estimate his height at 1.72 to 1.78 meters (5 feet 8 inches to 5 feet 10 inches), above average for the period.
Wounds on the skull point to a large carnivore
Researchers identified several unusual lesions. Small pits appeared on both sides of the skull near the coronal suture. More striking was a large, irregular hole on the left parietal bone that pierced the skull and left a splinter fused to the inner surface.
The opening measures about 22 by 19.5 millimeters (0.86 by 0.76 inches). All wounds showed smooth callus formation, meaning the man lived long enough for the injuries to heal. Additional trauma appeared on the legs and shoulder. Both fibulae contained pits and depressions, and the left clavicle and humerus showed bone reactions. These likely came from deep soft-tissue injuries.
Bite marks match lion teeth
To identify the cause, researchers compared the skull marks to weapons, trepanation and carnivore bites. The lesions did not match blade strikes or surgical openings. Instead, their shape pointed to a rounded, pointed object.
The team then molded lion and bear teeth from museum collections and compared them to the impressions on the skull. A pit mark near the right parietal and frontal junction aligned almost perfectly with a lion’s upper carnassial tooth. The depth, about 5 millimeters (0.19 inches), matched published lion bite traces.
Other big cats were ruled out because their teeth are smaller. Bear teeth did not match the irregular outlines. The evidence suggests the man was knocked down and bitten at least twice—once by a canine tooth that pierced the skull and once by a carnassial tooth that left a deep pit.
Survival indicates care within the community
The man survived the attack for months or years. But the injuries likely left permanent damage. The cranial defect and fused bone splinter may have caused neurological problems. Trauma to muscles and tendons in his legs and arm likely restricted movement.
His survival points to community care. A disabled man in a physically demanding farming society would have needed help with daily life. Yet his burial raises questions. The grave was deep, a feature sometimes linked to high-status burials, but it contained no artifacts. Nearby graves also held people with long-term disabilities.
A rare look at human–lion conflict in ancient Europe
The discovery confirms that lions once roamed southeastern Europe and interacted with early farming communities. It also offers a rare personal account of a violent encounter that shaped both a man’s life and his community’s response to injury and disability.
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