Archaeologists Found Evidence of Ancient Humans Eating Brains... of Other Humans.
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Archaeological evidence shows the Magdalenian people from 18,000 years ago likely were engaged in cannibalism.
As part of the practice, experts believe whole-body manipulation focused on the consumption of the deceased, including brains.
The newest clues come from the Maszycka Cave in Poland.
There's no delicate way to put this: researchers believe cannibalism was an 'integral practice' for Magdalenian groups roughly 18,000 years ago. And that, apparently, included eating the brains of the deceased.
In a new study published in the journal Scientific Reports, a team of researchers reviewed bones from the Maszycka Cave in Poland that have now revived the debate about the widespread practice of cannibalism in a group of European cultural systems, which was originally suggested by initial research from 1990s. Subsequent studies contested this idea, and the debate has been unresolved ever since. This new study reviewed early data, along with previously unpublished specimens, to find 'evidence of whole-body manipulation for consumption.'
In a translated statement from the Catalan Institute of Human Paleoecology and Social Evolution, an international team of researchers said that analysis of 63 human bone fragments—including skulls and long bones from the extremities—using 3D microscopy techniques showed marks of human manipulation on 68 percent of the bones. These aren't just any marks, but cut marks and intentional fractures 'related to human consumption, such as the removal of muscle bundles, brain, and marrow.'
This was the first time that the bones had been analyzed with modern techniques.
'The location and frequency of cut marks and intentional fracturing on the skeleton is clear evidence of nutritional exploitation of the bodies, ruling out the hypothesis of funerary treatment without consumption,' Francesc Marginedas, lead author and researcher at the Catalan Institute and the University Rovira i Virgili, said in a statement.
Evidence shows the bodies were processed shortly after death and showed no decomposition. Skulls display marks of humans removing the scalp and gaining access to the 'nutrient-rich organ' of the brain. The long bones feature fractures that would allow for the extraction of important sources of fat and calories, like bone marrow. Both acts suggest systematic manipulation focused on prioritizing the most nutritious parts of the human body.
That said, nutrition might not have been the only reason for the practice. 'Cannibalism is a behavior documented at various times in human evolution,' Palmira Saladie, co-author of the study and Catalan Institute researcher, said in a statement. 'In prehistoric contexts, it could respond both to survival needs and to ritual practices or even to dynamics of intergroup violence.'
The authors wrote that an increase in population after the Last Glacial Maximum may have intensified competition for resources, which could have heightened confrontations between people groups. If this theory holds up, the researchers believe war cannibalism would have been in play.
The human remains in the Maszycka Cave were mixed with the remains of consumed animals rather than placed separate in a sort of ritualized manner, further supporting acts of violent cannibalism.
The study authors wrote that there are five known sites in Europe from this period with clear evidence of cannibalism, allowing researchers to conclude that cannibalism was a function of the regional culture at the time—whether that meant consuming their own dead or the dead of their enemies.
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