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Jessica Thompson of Yale University says the location of the cuts on the tibia is important in understanding why they occur.
Past analyzes at other archaeological sites show that ancient hominids removed flesh from bones for ritual or burial reasons. But these behaviors have not been observed in the hominids who lived in the early Pleistocene region of Kenya.
In addition, the symptom begins where the popliteus muscle of the leg begins, i.e. near the calf. To create this effect, the recipient must first remove the larger gastrocnemius muscle, which is likely a good source of meat. If the cut marks are the result of butchery, it is not possible to say whether it is an example of cannibalism, because the species to which it belongs is not known. However, the findings provide insights into food preparation behaviors in ancient humans. “This discovery shows that hominins used stone tools to butcher and eat the flesh of other hominids,” Thompson said.
Of course, some experts warn that these conclusions are based on only one fossil, and by examining more fossils in the future, it will be possible to determine whether early hominins really exhibited such behaviors or not.
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