ALBAWABA - A recent study has revealed that our ancient human ancestors, who resided approximately 1.5 million years ago, might have engaged in cannibalism.
Evidence in the form of cut marks on the shin bone of an individual belonging to a human relative suggests that a significant portion of flesh, including the calf, was deliberately sliced off with precision by a prehistoric butcher using a stone knife.
A recent discovery in a Kenyan museum—previously unnoticed cut marks on a 1.45-million-year-old shin bone—may be the oldest evidence of ancient human relatives butchering and presumably eating each other.
Paleoanthropologist Briana Pobiner and her team at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History conducted an in-depth and meticulous 3D analysis of the cuts found. In addition, they conducted bone experiments to ascertain the source of these marks.
The team's discoveries confirm that the incisions were made using stone tools, mirroring the distinctive technique employed in the process of stripping flesh, typically associated with preparing meat for consumption.
