Scientists claim that cannibalism was once the norm for ancient people

People's rituals for saying goodbye to the dead have changed over time and from place to place. However, new research suggests that cannibalism, previously thought to be rare, may have been more common than we thought, especially among the Magdalenic culture in Northern Europe around 15,000 years ago.

Scientific analysis of Paleolithic human remains from various parts of Northern Europe suggests that cannibalism was part of Magdalenic funerary behavior. Instead of burying their dead, they consumed their bodies. This is reported by Science Alert.

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Paleoanthropologist Sylvia Bello of the Natural History Museum in London notes that this practice was widespread among the Magdalenians and indicates that it was part of their funerary behavior.

The researchers studied various Magdalen and Epigrave sites and found evidence of cannibalism in 13 of them. In these sites, human bones showed signs of postmortem manipulation, such as cuts and tooth marks, associated with the handling and consumption of bodies.

These studies also showed that the Epigrave culture, which buried its dead, was genetically distinct from the Magdalenic culture, which committed cannibalism. Other findings indicate that the Epigrave culture existed longer than the Magdalenic culture.

In general, these studies indicate that instead of existing together, two different cultures replaced each other when the Epigraveans migrated to Northern Europe.

Despite the horror of this practice, researchers believe that further research is needed to better understand this funerary behavior.

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