Has Violence Always Existed? A Review On Cannibalism and Interpersonal Violence Between the Palaeolithic and the Mesolithic Periods

This contribution presents a systematic and diachronic study of possible acts of cannibalism and interpersonal violence spanning from the Lower Palaeolithic to the Mesolithic period, analysing edited archaeological and anthropological data and rock art contexts. The primary objective of this critical review is to assess the existence of violence and analyse its patterns and explore its variability from the earliest forms of the genus Homo to the most recent Mesolithic hunter-gatherer groups. This study attempts a historic-religious analysis of cannibalism to evaluate the potential occurrences of ritual forms. Furthermore, the results reveal the presence of interpersonal violence, albeit with notable variations in intensity and methodology. Overall, this research equips us with valuable insights for a more profound comprehension of aggression within hunter-gatherer societies and its evolution during the Middle Pleistocene-Early Holocene.