Unveiling the Extraordinary Ancient Practice: Why Our Ancestors Consumed their own Dead
15,000 years ago in Europe, cannibalism was not merely a necessity but a cultural funeral practice, as revealed by a recent study This intriguing research explores the connection between burial customs and genetic ancestry
A recent study published in the journal Quaternary Science Reviews reveals that approximately 15,000 years ago, cannibalism in Europe was not simply a result of necessity but rather an integral part of the culture. This new research challenges the notion that the practice was limited to isolated incidents, as previously believed.
The researchers primarily studied the Magdalenian period, which took place during the late Upper Paleolithic era approximately 11,000 to 17,000 years ago.
A team of experts from the National History Museum in London conducted a literature review to identify 59 Magdalenian sites where human remains were discovered. These sites were mainly located in France, but there were also sites in Germany, Spain, Russia, the United Kingdom, Belgium, Poland, the Czech Republic, and Portugal.
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CREDIT Jason Heaton and Ronald Clarke, in cooperation with the Ditsong Museum of Natural History. _
Jason Heaton/Ronald Clarke/Ditsong Museum of Natural History
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They were able to interpret the funerary behaviors at 25 of the sites.
Fifteen pieces of evidence indicated the presence of human remains exhibiting chew marks, skull bones displaying cut marks, and purposely fractured bones arranged in a manner associated with extracting bone marrow for sustenance. These findings strongly suggest the practice of cannibalism.
Additionally, the evidence suggests that, in certain instances, the remains of humans were mixed with those of animals.
The researchers suggest that the ritualistic manipulation of human remains found at sites across northern and western Europe indicates that cannibalism was a common burial practice in Magdalenian culture. They state that the frequency of cannibalistic cases among Magdalenian sites surpasses any other known earlier or later hominin groups, which implies that mortuary cannibalism was used by the Magdalenian people to dispose of their dead.
Evidence of cannibalism was detected through the identification of human remains exhibiting signs of chewing, skull bones displaying cutmarks, and deliberate breakage of bones in a specific pattern related to the extraction of bone marrow for sustenance.
"In contrast to burying their deceased, these individuals resorted to consuming them," Silvia Bello, a paleoanthropologist and lead researcher at the National History Museum, mentioned in a press release.
According to Bello, cannibalism is not solely carried out due to necessity. She finds it intriguing that this is the oldest proof of cannibalism being used as a burial ritual.
Funeral behavior associated with genetic ancestry
: Investigating the correlation between funerary practices and genetic heredity, researchers successfully gathered genetic data from eight locations and integrated it with archaeological findings.During that time, the region was inhabited by two distinct ancestral groups: the Magdalenian culture and the Epigravettian culture. The Magdalenian culture, located in northwestern Europe, had a preference for consuming their deceased, whereas the Epigravettian culture, a unique European culture with a separate geographical identity, chose to bury their dead without practicing cannibalism.
"There was a notable transition observed in the region of south central Europe, whereby individuals began opting for burial practices when it came to laying their deceased to rest. This shift in behavior is strongly associated with a distinctive culture referred to as the Epigravettian," as revealed in the statement by the Natural History Museum.
Map of Magdalenian sites where cannibalism has been identified in northwestern Europe.
Trustees of the Natural History Museum
The study indicated that the occurrence of regular burial during the Upper Magdalenian can be attributed to the migration of individuals with Epigravettian-related ancestry into regions previously occupied by people with Magdalenian-related ancestry, who engaged in funerary cannibalism. William Marsh, postdoctoral researcher at the museum, mentioned in a press release that this alteration in funerary practices is believed to be an example of demic diffusion, where one population replaces another and brings about a change in behavior.
The study authors stated that while these results are preliminary, further analysis on a larger scale is required to thoroughly investigate the findings.
Thomas Booth, a senior laboratory research scientist at the Francis Crick Institute, who was not part of the study, mentioned to CNN on Thursday that the absence of the remains of the majority of people who resided in Europe during the Palaeolithic era makes it difficult to ascertain the practices of handling the deceased.
This study presents compelling evidence of the practice of ritual funerary cannibalism by individuals in Europe between 20,000 and 14,000 years ago. Join CNN's Wonder Theory science newsletter to delve into the mysteries of the universe, featuring updates on captivating discoveries and scientific progress.
