"Evidence of cannibalism was found on bones dating back 4,000 years in England."

Scientists have suggested that approximately 37 people may have been slaughtered and eaten by cannibals in an attack that occurred around 4,000 years ago in the Somerset region of England. About 3,000 bone fragments, believed to have been thrown into a 15-meter deep pit by the attackers, were analyzed by an archaeological team. Researchers, who recorded the incident as the largest act of violence identified in Bronze Age England, found evidence that the victims were dismembered with stone tools and ritually consumed by the attackers. Experts noted that villages in Early Bronze Age England typically consisted of 50-100 people, and this act of cannibalism could have nearly wiped out the entire community.

DESIRE TO SEND A TERRIFYING MESSAGE

Prof. Dr. Rick Schulting from the Archaeology Department of Oxford University, one of the researchers of the article, stated that the victims may have been eaten by the cannibals to "send a terrifying message" or to "dehumanize" them. Schulting noted that this massacre may have been carried out "out of a desire for revenge" and that its effects have been "passed down through generations." He added, "If we had seen these marks on animal bones, we would definitely say they had gone through butchery processes." The researchers reported that the presence of bone fragments alongside animal remains indicates that there was sufficient food during that period and that the attackers did not "eat the victims out of hunger."

FIRST DOCUMENTED CASE OF CANNIBALISM IN THE BRONZE AGE

This has been recorded as the first documented case of cannibalism from the Bronze Age. The bone remains of the victims were first discovered in the 1970s by cavers in the Charterhouse Warren caves in the Mendip Hills. The article was published in the journal Antiquity.

Cannibalism is defined as the consumption of human flesh for purposes such as religion, worship, and magic.