🦴🔍 Ancient Bone Story: Did Our Ancestors Practice Cannibalism?
⬇️ Pidgin ⬇️ ⬇️ Black American Slang ⬇️ English
As dat mata land about say our olden days papa dem bin dey chop human flesh, one kain recent research don come give us wetin dem dey call “oldest decisive evidence.” Dem yan say na our ancient hominid papa and mama dem bin dey chop demsef. But some sabi people don begin dey raise eyebrow for this kain mata. Dem yan say many times we dey blow this kain gist out of proportion. Na wetin make everybody mind dey quick go think say dem dey chop demsef. If you look well well, you go see say this kain belief don tey, even for the time of Romans dem. 😲
Nowadays for inside paleoanthropology, dem no dey carry eye see gist of cannibalism if e no get solid proof. Na why people dey wonder why dem carry this kain report come out. Dem talk say dem see one shin bone wey don tey like 1.45 million years. Dem see am for inside northern Kenya like 53 years ago. And the record of this thing no plenty. As dem see this bone, e come be like say our olden days papa and mama dem bin dey cut their fellow human beings, and dem even dey chop dem join.
Di people wey carry dis news come talk say this one na di “oldest decisive evidence” of dis kain behavior. Briana Pobiner, wey be one paleoanthropologist for Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History, and na she first write dis paper, she come talk say, “From the informate wey we gather, e be like say hominids dem bin dey chop their fellow hominids at least 1.45 million years ago. Plenty examples dey wey show say species from the human evolutionary tree dey chop each other for food, but this fossil don show say our species’ relatives bin dey chop each other to survive even as dem time pass wey we think.” 🧐
But as this news dey ground, people dey come ask say, when mark on top bone fit make us believe say na cannibalism? Or you fit talk am like this, how much evidence from olden days we need to prove modern theory? 🤔
Dr. Pobiner, wey know plenty thing about cut marks, come talk say she notice 11 thin slashes wey dey face one direction for the bone. Na the kind place wey calf muscle for don attach to the bone be this – na e be the meaty part of the lower leg. She come send the scar mold to Michael Pante, wey be one paleoanthropologist for Colorado State University. Pante come take 3D scan do comparison between the cut and some kind database wey get 898 tooth, trample and butchery marks. E come be like say nine out of the cuttings fit the kain damage wey stone tool go cause.
From the things wey Dr. Pobiner see, she come form theory of cannibalism. She talk say, “From wetin we fit see, dis hominin leg bone dem dey treat am like other animals, wey we believe say dem dey chop based on the butchery marks wey plenty for their body. E make sense to believe say dem dey chop this one too.” 🍖
But as dem drop dis news, e come be like say people start to overstate dis cannibalism mata. Some people begin hail the findings. “E dey thoughtful and perfectly pitched,” na wetin James Cole, wey be archaeologist for University of Brighton, talk. Others come begin talk say Dr. Pobiner no talk true about dis cannibalism mata. Dem talk say she no fit prove say dem chop the flesh.
Tim D. White, wey be paleoanthropologist for University of California, Berkeley, come call the matter “clickbait”. White na one of the people wey find Ardipithecus ramidus, wey be our likely human forebear wey don tey like 4.4 million years. White talk say, “Even if dem finally prove say the scratches na from ancient times and e dey real, the simple fact say the scratch dey for the bone no be enough to say na cannibalism.” 😒
The matter say dem dey chop each other for olden days, or cannibalism, don dey cause kasala for academia for more than a hundred years. In 1925, Raymond Dart, wey be one anatomist for University of the Witwatersrand, talk say e find partial skull of one small ape-like being wey dem dig out from quarry for one town wey dem dey call Taung. He come name this prehuman species Australopithecus africanus — the southern ape of Africa.
Mostly from how the skull be, Dr. Dart come reason say the pikin die from one heavy blow for head, and he conclude say some australopithecines na confirmed killers: dem dey chop meat, catch their victims by force, kill them with beating, tear their body apart, cut dem limb by limb, drink their hot blood and chop their raw meat.” Scientists nowadays believe say the so-called Taung Child, wey die like 2.8 million years ago, na eagle or another big bird kill am. Dem see say the bottom of the pikin eye get hole.
People don dey argue for long whether cannibalism na normal thing for human history, or whether e never happen for our family tree at all. “If you dey fight for survival, which our ancestors do every single day, any source of nutrition go help,” na wetin Dr. Pante talk.
Controversy come big again in 1979, when William Arens, wey be social anthropologist, argue for his book “The Man-Eating Myth: Anthropology and Anthropophagy” say dem no get any kain correct historical and ethnographical evidence for the custom of cannibalism, except for when dem dey for serious wahala.
“Cannibalism dey come back anytime wey no anthropologist dey to see am,” na wetin Dr. Arens write. He talk say almost all the gist about cannibalism na hearsay, na something wey scholars of the British Empire use to help tame the savage.
“Most of the things wey Arens write for him book no stand again today,” na wetin Dr. White, the paleoanthropologist, talk. “But e help us to challenge those people wey dey interested in the nature and extent of cannibalism for the recent and deep past.”
Since that time, dem don find clear proof of cannibalism among hominids for the fossil record. The earliest confirmation na the one wey dem see for 1994 inside the Gran Dolina cave site for Spain’s Atapuerca Mountains. The remains of 11 people wey live like 800,000 years ago show say dem chop them. Dem bone show cut, fracture where dem crack open to bring out the marrow and human teeth mark.
NOW IN BLACK AMERICAN SLANG
🦴🔍 Ancient Bone Story: Did Our Ancestors Practice Cannibalism?
🦴🔍 Ancient Bone Tale: Were Our Forebears Chowing Down on Each Other?
So, word on the street is that our ancient peeps might’ve been chomping down on each other. Sounds wild, right? Well, this new study is making claims of the “oldest solid proof.” They’re saying our old-school hominid folks were getting their munch on with their own kin. Now, this has got some scholarly heads turning. They’re suggesting we might be blowing these kinda stories way outta proportion. Makes folks too quick to think cannibalism was a thing. Truth is, this sorta thinking goes way back, even to the Roman times. 😲
Fast-forward to today, in the world of paleoanthropology, cannibalism tales are usually given the side-eye unless there’s hard evidence. So, you gotta wonder why this new revelation has got folks buzzing. The report’s pointing to this 1.45-million-year-old shinbone they found up in Northern Kenya about 53 years back. From this bone, they’re suggesting our OG ancestors weren’t just taking out their own, but they were grubbing on ’em too.
The folks behind this study are calling it the “oldest solid proof” of this behavior. Briana Pobiner, a paleoanthropologist from the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History, who first put this out, says, “From what we’ve gathered, it seems like hominids were probably dining on each other at least 1.45 million years ago. We’ve got plenty examples showing species from our evolution tree feeding on each other for grub, but this fossil shows our relatives might have been feeding on each other to survive even earlier than we thought.” 🧐
Now, with this news hitting the scene, folks are starting to ask some real questions: When does a mark on a bone start looking like cannibalism? Or better yet, how much ancient proof do we need to back up a modern theory? 🤔
Dr. Pobiner, who’s got a keen eye for cut marks, noticed 11 thin slashes going in one direction on the bone. This is the area where the calf muscle would’ve been – the meaty part of the lower leg. She sent the scar mold over to Michael Pante, a paleoanthropologist at Colorado State University. Pante compared the cut using a 3D scan to a database with 898 tooth, trample, and butchery marks. Looks like nine of these cuttings match up with the type of damage you’d see from stone tools.
From what Dr. Pobiner saw, she started thinking about a cannibalism theory. She says, “From what we can see, this hominin leg bone was treated much like other animals, which we believe were eaten based on the plenty of butchery marks on their bodies. It’s reasonable to think this one was eaten too.” 🍖
But as soon as this news dropped, it looks like folks might’ve been making this cannibalism thing bigger than it is. Some are praising the findings, calling them “thoughtful and spot on,” like James Cole, an archaeologist from the University of Brighton. Others are saying Dr. Pobiner might’ve jumped the gun on this cannibalism thing and that she can’t fully prove the flesh was eaten.
Tim D. White, a paleoanthropologist from the University of California, Berkeley, straight up called the report “clickbait.” White, one of the folks who discovered Ardipithecus ramidus, a probable human ancestor from 4.4 million years back, said, “Even if they eventually confirm that the scratches are ancient and genuine, just having a scratch on a bone isn’t enough to claim cannibalism.” 😒
The concept of folks chomping down on each other, or cannibalism, has been a hot topic in academia for over a hundred years. Back in 1925, Raymond Dart, an anatomist from the University of the Witwatersrand, said he found the partial skull of a small ape-like creature dug up from a quarry in a place called Taung. He named this early human species Australopithecus africanus — the southern ape of Africa.
Based mostly on how the skull looked, Dr. Dart figured the kid died from a nasty blow to the head and said some australopithecines were confirmed killers: “They ate meat, ambushed their prey, took them out with a beat down, dismembered their bodies, cut them limb by limb, drank their hot blood, and ate their raw meat.” Modern scientists now think the so-called Taung Child, who died about 2.8 million years ago, was taken out by an eagle or another big bird, judging by the hollow in the bottom of the kid’s eye socket.
The debate about whether cannibalism was the norm in human history or whether it didn’t occur at all in our family tree has been a long one. “If you’re fighting for survival, which our ancestors did every day, any source of nutrition helps,” Dr. Pante says.
The controversy got heated again in 1979 when social anthropologist William Arens claimed in his book “The Man-Eating Myth: Anthropology and Anthropophagy” that there’s a lack of solid historical and ethnographical evidence for the practice of cannibalism, exceptin the direst situations.
“Cannibalism seems to pop up whenever no anthropologist is around to see it,” Arens wrote. He suggested that most of the tales of cannibalism were just rumors, a story spun by scholars of the British Empire to help “tame the wild.”
“A lot of what Arens wrote in his book doesn’t hold water today,” said Dr. White, the paleoanthropologist. “But it did push us to challenge those who are interested in the nature and extent of cannibalism in both the recent and deep past.”
Since then, clear evidence of cannibalism among hominids has been discovered in the fossil record. The earliest confirmation popped up in 1994 from the Gran Dolina cave site in Spain’s Atapuerca Mountains. The remains of 11 individuals who lived around 800,000 years ago show signs of consumption. Their bones show cuts, fractures where they were cracked open to get at the marrow, and human teeth marks.
NOW IN ENGLISH
🦴🔍 Ancient Bone Story: Did Our Ancestors Practice Cannibalism?
Amid the startling claim that our ancient forebears may have been cannibals, a recent study offers what it dubs the “oldest definitive evidence.” It suggests that our hominid ancestors used to eat their own kind. However, this notion has raised eyebrows amongst scholars. They argue that such narratives often tend to be exaggerated, making it easy for people to conclude that cannibalism was widespread. This notion, they say, has a long history, dating back even to Roman times. 😲
In the modern field of paleoanthropology, claims of cannibalism are taken with a pinch of salt unless substantial proof is provided. Hence, the recent revelation has provoked curiosity. The report cites the finding of a 1.45-million-year-old shinbone discovered in Northern Kenya about 53 years ago. Based on this evidence, it is believed that our early ancestors not only killed their own but also ate them.
Proponents of this study claim it to be the “oldest definitive evidence” of such behavior. Briana Pobiner, a paleoanthropologist at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History, who is the author of the paper, noted, “From the data we gathered, it seems hominids likely consumed other hominids at least 1.45 million years ago. There are many examples of species from the human evolutionary tree consuming one another for sustenance, but this fossil demonstrates that our species’ relatives may have eaten each other to survive even earlier than we thought.” 🧐
However, this revelation poses some critical questions: when does a mark on a bone become an indicator of cannibalism? Or put differently, how much ancient evidence is required to corroborate a modern theory? 🤔
Dr. Pobiner, an expert on cut marks, noticed 11 thin slashes facing the same direction on the bone, an area where the calf muscle would have been attached – the meaty part of the lower leg. She sent the scar mold to Michael Pante, a paleoanthropologist at Colorado State University. Pante then used a 3D scan to compare the cut with a database of 898 tooth, trample, and butchery marks. It appeared that nine of the cuttings were consistent with the type of damage caused by stone tools.
From what Dr. Pobiner observed, she deduced a theory of cannibalism. She stated, “From what we can discern, this hominin leg bone was treated similarly to other animals, which we believe were consumed based on the abundance of butchery marks on their bodies. It’s reasonable to believe that this one was eaten too.” 🍖
However, this revelation seems to have been somewhat blown out of proportion. While some praised the findings as “thoughtful and perfectly pitched,” according to James Cole, an archaeologist at the University of Brighton, others argued that Dr. Pobiner may have jumped to conclusions about cannibalism and could not definitively prove that the flesh was consumed.
Tim D. White, a paleoanthropologist at the University of California, Berkeley, dismissed the report as “clickbait.” White, one of the discoverers of Ardipithecus ramidus, a probable human ancestor dating back 4.4 million years, argued, “Even if they eventually confirm that the scratches are ancient and genuine, the mere existence of a scratch on a bone is not sufficient to claim cannibalism.” 😒
The concept of cannibalism, or anthropophagy, has been a contentious topic in academia for over a hundred years. In 1925, Raymond Dart, an anatomist at the University of the Witwatersrand, claimed to have discovered the partial skull of a small ape-like creature excavated from a quarry in a town called Taung. He named this prehuman species Australopithecus africanus — the southern ape of Africa.
Largely based on the skull’s appearance, Dr. Dart speculated that the child had died from a severe blow to the head and concluded that some australopithecines were confirmed killers: “They ate meat, ambushed their prey, murdered them with bludgeoning, dismembered their bodies, cut them limb by limb, drank their hot blood and consumed their raw flesh.” Modern scientists now believe that the so-called Taung Child, who died about 2.8 million years ago, was killed by an eagle or another large bird, based on the eye socket’s hollow bottom.
There has been a long-standing debate on whether cannibalism was commonplace in human history or whether it did not occur at all in our family tree. “If you’re fighting for survival, which our ancestors did every single day, any source of nutrition helps,” said Dr. Pante.
The controversy flared up again in 1979 when social anthropologist William Arens argued in his book “The Man-Eating Myth: Anthropology and Anthropophagy” that there was a lack of solid historical and ethnographical evidence for the practice of cannibalism, except in dire circumstances.
“Cannibalism reappears whenever no anthropologist is around to witness it,” Arens wrote. He suggested that most of the tales of cannibalism were hearsay, a narrative used by scholars of the British Empire to help “tame the savage.”
“Much of what Arens wrote in his book doesn’t hold up today,” said Dr. White, the paleoanthropologist. “But it did help us to challenge those interested in the nature and extent of cannibalism in both the recent and deep past.”
Since then, clear evidence of cannibalism among hominids has been discovered in the fossil record. The earliest confirmation came in 1994 from the Gran Dolina cave site in Spain’s Atapuerca Mountains. The remains of 11 individuals who lived around 800,000 years ago show signs of consumption. Their bones show cuts, fractures where they were cracked open to extract marrow, and human teeth marks.
