Ancient Europeans practiced cannibalistic funeral rituals, study reveals

A new study published in the journal Quaternary Science Reviews reveals that cannibalism was a common funeral practice in Europe approximately 15,000 years ago. Researchers identified 59 Magdalenian sites with human remains, primarily in France but also in other European countries. Evidence of cannibalism was found at 15 of these sites, including chewed bones, skull bones with cut marks, and purposefully broken bones for extracting bone marrow. The manipulation of human remains and its widespread occurrence across northern and western Europe suggest that cannibalism was a burial practice rather than a dietary necessity. The study also found a correlation between funerary behavior and genetic ancestry, with the Magdalenian culture practicing cannibalism while the Epigravettian culture preferred burial.