Introduction
The diet of prehistoric homo sapiens is an interesting topic to research due to its evidential contribution to the history of human eating practices. In pre-agricultural times, people consumed the products of their hunting and gathering efforts. In particular, the evidence of historical findings presented by Harris (1998) suggests that male homo sapiens of the prehistoric era consumed hunted animals that contained large amounts of protein while leaving smaller animals, such as frogs, insects, and others, to women and children. Similarly, another source of food was gathering, which allowed for eating berries and plants, which were consumed regularly (Harris 1998). Overall, this evidence is informed by the anthropological, archeological, and historical findings cited by the author of the book. Therefore, the evidence is strong and convincing due to the credibility of the information sources.
Discussion
The practice of cannibalism, which involves eating human beings, is a topic that continues to evoke a macabre interest in today’s contemporary civilizations. Particularly problematic is the question of how human cannibalism came to exist in the first place. Cannibalism in contemporary humans has been linked to any combination of the following motivations: survival, behavior that is insane or criminal, aggressive, spiritual or ceremonial, culinary or nutritional, and medical (Harris 1998). However, cannibalism is not unique to modern humans; a variety of hominin species has done it since at least one million years ago. Modern humans are not the only species that have engaged in this behavior. As a consequence, there is a very good chance that pre-agricultural homo sapiens engaged in anthropophagy which had its advantages and disadvantages.
The assumed advantage of consuming human flesh in the prehistoric era might be the satisfaction of the cultural and ritual needs of the people, as well as a means of their survival in turbulent times. Evidence from different parts of the world suggests that cannibalism occurred during times of economic, nutritional, political, or social stress. The archaeologist David Rockefeller, who was devoured by the Asmat tribe in New Guinea in 1961, and the Uruguayan rugby players whose aircraft crashed in the Andes in 1972 are two examples that have been reported as late as the 1960s. Cannibalism may also be affected by societal norms, such as those practiced by the Fore people of New Guinea, for whom it was discovered to be a means of demonstrating affection for a deceased relative and expressing sadness over the loss of a family member (Harris 1998). Consequently, there are various reasons serving as advantages that could have motivated the emergence of cannibalism at the time.
Another advantage of cannibalism might be considered within the context of evolutionary development. It has been hypothesized that humans did not start eating meat until the late Pleistocene period, which occurred approximately 10,000–11,000 years ago (Sack 2021). If this is the case, then cannibalism was a relatively recent cultural and nutritional experiment in human social evolution. According to the findings of Garn and Block (1970 cited in Sack 2021), “while human flesh may function as a source of both protein and calories in an emergency, it is dubious that routine people-eating ever had any nutritional importance.” Cole expanded on this finding by analyzing the relative nutritional qualities of other animal fleshes, including human flesh (Sack 2021). When viewed in conjunction with Slater’s beliefs about the evolution of human civilization (Slater 1959: 1042–1059 cited in Sack 2021), the effect that cannibalism had on nutritional health and, as a result, female fertility suggests that cannibalism played a role in the evolution of early human society. This finding broadens the significance of archaeological studies on cannibalism, which often ends after describing and analyzing specific episodes of cannibalism.
The disadvantages of anthropophagy might be related to health issues and the insufficiency of nutritious features of human flesh. Cannibalism is connected to the dynamics of early human groups’ reproduction and their chance of survival. Due to a number of factors, it is very improbable that early humans were able to maintain their health by subsisting only on human flesh as their food source. First, considering that the human body is made up of roughly 70 percent water, the human body’s nutritional value per kilogram of butchered meat is probably lower than that of the animals that early man most frequently hunted (Sack 2021). Similarly, when a cow is slaughtered to provide human food, only around fifty to sixty percent of the animal’s total live weight is deemed appropriate for human consumption (Sack 2021). Therefore, late Pleistocene cannibals would have probably hunted human prey to extinction with less health value than they would have obtained from ingesting other similarly sized prey.
The practice of cannibalism on an irregular or sporadic basis presents various dietary challenges. Firstly, eating human brains might spread kuru illness, which is a kind of transmissible spongiform encephalopathy, to other people; yet, in the long run, cannibalism can select for genetic resistance to this disease (Mead et al. 2003 cited in Sack 2021). Secondly, a diet that consisted primarily of meat, such as the one that was popular in the 1970s and 1980s as a rapid weight-loss diet for brief periods, was linked to malnutrition, kidney problems, constipation, osteoporosis, and an increased risk of cancer and heart disease (Scharffenberg 1979: 15–48 cited in Sack 2021). Other negative impacts were aggressive and antisocial behavior (Hippchen 1978: 3–19 cited in Sack 2021), which the researchers attributed to the fact that diets high in meat lack critical carbohydrates, roughage, vitamins, and amino acids. These elements are required for cognitive development hence diminishing the possibility of prolonged cannibalism in a brutal sense.
The reason why one should research and study the diet of early homo sapiens is that it informs contemporary humanity on the evolutionary changes it has passed until today. Importantly, the changes in dieting and the factors predetermining the choice of particular foods allow for integrating several domains of human development history, including cultural, social, economic, and others. Therefore, the investigation of what prehistoric humans ate is not merely an intellectual exercise but a scientific tool for understanding the principles of human evolution and the manifestations of multiple factors’ impacts on human life in the historical context.
Conclusion
In summation, the kinds of foods that human ancestors consumed may provide people with a wealth of information about the kinds of lives they led and the places in which they lived. Food consumption also played a key effect in the development of humans, notably about two million years ago when meat first began to play a prominent role in the human diet. Consequently, an essential part of human development could be uncovered, or societal beliefs and norms that led to the current development.
Cited References
Harris M. 1998. Good to eat: Riddles of food and culture. Prospect Heights Ill.: Waveland.
Sack G. 2021. The Limited Nutritional Value of Cannibalism and the Development of Early Human Society. Social Evolution & History. 20(2).
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