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These Ancient Warriors Ate the Brains of Their Enemies, Study Finds

A new study published in the journal Scientific Reports indicates that ancient warriors ate the brains of their enemies. The particularly gruesome form of celebration was a common occurrence for the Madelenians, who reportedly consumed the brains of their enemies after battle in order to celebrate the death of their foes. Though it's long been thought that pre-historic European cultures dabbled in cannibalism, the notion wasn't confirmed until recently (via Popular Mechanics) when a team of researchers extracted and analyzed skulls and other human remains from Poland's Maszycka Cave. According to the Catalan Institute of Human Paleoecology and Social Evolution, more than 68 percent of the 63 bones analyzed contained manipulation 'related to human consumption, such as the removal of muscle bundles, brain, and marrow.' Cranial and mandibular fragments, in particular, 'exhibited modifications related to scalping, defleshing and disarticulation.''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,' explained Francesc Marginedas, head of the Catalan Institute and a researcher there. The study noted that 'the butchering process took place shortly after death with no period reserved for the bodies to decompose or dry.' The deceased were 'intensively manipulated' to extract all possible fluids and make best use of the cadaver's 'caloric contribution.' Researchers believe the cannibalistic practice may have begun due to scarce food resources after the Ice Age, but they say it may also have had a ritualistic purpose. 'Cannibalism is a behavior documented at various times in human evolution,' said the study's co-author, Palmira Saladie, a Catalan Institute researcher. 'In prehistoric contexts, it could respond both to survival needs and to ritual practices or even to dynamics of intergroup violence.'