A grisly discovery has revealed that warriors may have eaten the people they killed.
Archaeologists uncovered 650 bone fragments from 11 people – some with tooth marks still visible – in an ancient cave.
Experts say the remains are a staggering 5,700 years old and show clear signs of being butchered and even cooked.
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The research team, led by Palma Saladie and Francesc Marginedas from the Catalan Institute of Human Paleoecology and Social Evolution (IPHES), believe the victims were part of brutal “warfare cannibalism” – where fighters not only wiped out their enemies but carved them up afterwards.
The reasons are chillingly varied – from dark ritual and psychological warfare to the simple need for food, as reported by Need To Know.
The scientists even had to carefully work out which injuries came from deadly battles and which came from “processing” – the cold term for preparing humans for the pot.
Marks on the bones suggest Neolithic warriors treated human flesh like any other meat – slicing, cooking and gnawing it.
The findings add fuel to the debate over how violent and ruthless our ancient ancestors really were.
The remains were found in El Mirador Cave, northern Spain.
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