Читать книгу The Zombie Book - Nick Redfern - Страница 36

When it comes to the matter of eating brains, our ancient ancestors had a deep understanding of just how tasty and nourishing the average brain could really be. Millions of years ago, early man was engaging in the sorts of actions that, today, are chiefly relegated to the world of on-screen horror.

In May 2013 a series of amazing and controversial discoveries were made at a place called Kanjera South in Kenya, which is located in East Africa. Archaeologists discovered, to their amazement, evidence of widespread hunting and scavenging of animals by primitive man—better known as Homo erectus—up to around three million years ago, and possibly even earlier than that. But there was something very special, and almost unique, about the particular type of hunting and scavenging that was afoot on the plains of Kenya. The fossilized remains of numerous animals our ancestors secured for food revealed that one specific part of the slaughtered beasts were being targeted for food: no less than the heads.

Securing the heads of dead animals would actually not have been a difficult task, as it’s a fact that the big cats that roamed the plains of Africa millions of years ago were very partial to antelope and wildebeest flesh—as are their descendents to this day. Such big cats are, however, far less partial to the heads, which are very often the only remaining telltale sign of a big cat attack. Thus, it was speculated, the ancient Kenyans followed stealthily in the tracks of the huge cats and then patiently and silently waited until the latter had finished feasting, after which they quickly moved in to secure the heads of any and all dead antelopes and wildebeest they could get their paw-like hands on. But what was it, specifically, about the heads that made them so special? Well, it was what was contained within the heads that really mattered: the brains.

Demonstrating that the average zombie might not be quite so brain-dead after all, the average antelope and wildebeest brain provides a great deal of tissue that is high in fat. In combined format the organs would have provided the average brain-eater with a significant percentage of the energy they would have required to live, survive, and thrive on the harsh, hot plains of Kenya. This raises an interesting possibility: when a voraciously hungry zombie sinks its wretched teeth into the head of its unfortunate victim, there may be a very good reason why it so often focuses on that one, particular part of the human anatomy: not only is the brain a source of food, it’s also a source of much-needed nutrients.