Ancient Ritual Cannibalism in Late Shang China (ca. 1250–1046 BC)

Abstract

In this paper the author attempts to interpret traditional, epigraphic and archaeological sources of the history of the late Shang state as evidence of the practice of ritual cannibalism. One of the religious concentrations of the Late Shang culture was large-scale regular human sacrifices regulated by the state. The ritual consumption of human flesh was a part of these sacrifices ensuring continuous communication of people with sacred forces. The author believes that the anthropophagic rituals of the Shang kings were a way of acquiring magical power which consisted in sacrificial food. Satisfying the gastronomic needs of their royal ancestors was employed by the Shang kings to increase their own sacred authority and power allowing them to maintain social stability and order in the state and thereby act as a guarantor of public well-being.