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Herodotus and the cannibals

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2015

E. M. Murphy  and
J. P. Mallory
E. M. Murphy
Affiliation:
School of Archaeology and Palaeoecology, Queen's University of Belfast, Belfast BT7 1NN Northern Ireland
J. P. Mallory
Affiliation:
School of Archaeology and Palaeoecology, Queen's University of Belfast, Belfast BT7 1NN Northern Ireland
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Abstract

Herodotus' 5th-century BC Histories provide us with one of the earliest written accounts for the practice of cannibalism. This paper examines the references concerning cannibalism contained in Herodotus, reviews the theories proposed to account for these references, and suggests a new explanation for this cultural motif.

Keywords

HerodotuscannibalismAymyrlygSiberiapalaeopathologyfunerary rites
Type
Papers
Information
Antiquity , Volume 74 , Issue 284 , June 2000 , pp. 388 - 394
Copyright
Copyright © Antiquity Publications Ltd. 2000

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