The enduring mystery of Scotland’s medieval cannibals

An engraving of Sawney Bean by I. Basire after J. Nicholls (1741). WikiCommons Cannibalism is one of the biggest taboos throughout history. The idea of eating one of your own species tends to fill people with disgust and horror. Yet, cannibalism has happened for many reasons, including warfare and religious rituals. Reports of cannibalism are particularly prevalent in times of scarcity, such as Jamestown in Virginia in the 17th century, where remains of at least one person who may have been…