Cannibalistic Europeans likely ate their dead at funerals 15,000 years ago instead of burying them, study says

Thu, 10/05/2023 - 18:35

A bone from the Upper Palaeolithic Era engraved with markings associated with ritual cannibalism. — A bone from the Upper Paleolithic Era engraved with markings associated with ritual cannibalism, from London's Natural History Museum
Reuters

Europeans probably ate their dead loved ones instead of burying them 15,000 years ago.
According to a new study, the consumption of dead people was not essential, but a ritual.
Researchers also said people used the remaining bones as cups and chewed on them.

Cannibalistic Europeans likely feasted on their deceased loved ones at funerals instead of burying them, according to a new study.

Scientists now believe that cannibalism was widespread among Magdalenian Upper Palaeolithic people, who lived across Europe between 11,000 and 17,000 years ago, according to the study published in Quaternary Science Reviews.