Human evolution: cannibalism (Introduction)

by David Turell , Wednesday, October 26, 2022, 00:35 (758 days ago) @ David Turell

It was used by humans:

https://www.realclearscience.com/blog/2022/10/26/why_did_paleolithic_humans_eat_each_ot...

"Our Paleolithic ancestors ate each other. We (Homo sapiens) did it. Neanderthals did it. Homo erectus and Homo antecessor did it. It's highly likely that almost all hominins have done it. The only questions are "why" and "how much".

"From our privileged position today as the apex species on planet Earth, with a relative bounty of plant and animal food compared to times past, cannibalism is almost universally abhorred. But did this aversion exist amongst our ancestors? Scientists generally view Paleolithic cannibalism as the exception, not the norm, but maybe that's just wishful thinking... Picturing our ancients as noble hunters and gatherers is preferable to viewing them as brutish, opportunistic cannibals.

***

"Cole described a few clear signs on human bones that suggest cannibalism:

"'lack of a cranial base (to get to the brain) on otherwise complete or near-complete skeletons;"
"'virtual absence of vertebrae (due to crushing or boiling to get at bone marrow and grease);"
"'cut- and chop-marks;"
"'comparable butchering techniques on human remains as in faunal (food) remains;"
"'post-processing discard of hominin remains similar to faunal remains;"
"'evidence of cooking in the form of burnt bone;"
"'human tooth marks"

"These indicators have been spotted at ancient human sites around the world, from 10,000 to nearly one million years before present. At Troisième caverne of Goyet in Belgium, researchers found evidence that around 45,000 years ago, Neanderthals butchered then ate some of their dead and used their bones as tools. And in Gough’s Cave in the United Kingdom, dated to roughly 15,000 years ago, anthropologists discovered bite marks on Homo sapien bones, as if the long-ago eaters were trying to scrape off every millimeter of nutritious muscle. They also turned up hundreds of filleting marks and ritualistic incisions on bones, and even found skulls apparently modified for use as cups.

"So did humans eat each other opportunistically, perhaps upon the death of a group member? Was it more out of necessity, in situations of starvation? Or did humans in rival groups hunt each other like they might a deer or a boar? Cole tried to answer that question by calculating the number of calories in an adult man. He found it to be about 143,771, enough to feed a group of about 25 adult humans for half a day. (my bold)

" He reasoned that this nutritional prize wouldn't really be worth the trouble, especially compared to hunting a horse, an aurochs, or mammoth, ruling out the notion that ancient humans regularly hunted each other.

"'A single large fauna individual returns many more calories without the difficulties of hunting groups of hominins that were as intelligent and resourceful as the hunters."

"As Cole wrote, that means Paleolithic cannibalism was more likely carried out opportunistically, by necessity, or perhaps for ritualistic purposes. Ancient culture undoubtedly factored in, but on that topic, we may forever be kept in the dark."

Comment: note my bold. Humam caloric need on a daily basis is a vital concept. dhw belittles it in his arguments about God's necessary roles. Note how the author makes it a critical point in studying human behavior in reference to food supply.