4. Cannibalism was recorded in Hispania during the Siege of Numantia
During the Roman Wars to subjugate the Iberian Peninsula in the 2nd Century CE, the city of Numantia was besieged by Roman armies, as recorded by the Appian of Alexandria. Appian was born more than two centuries following the events of the siege, and the sources of his information are for a large part unknown. Essentially his work is laid out in the manner of a series of individual articles, with large chronological gaps, and with his sources not identified, though there are occasional references within the text of his work. All together it covers more than nine centuries of Roman history, as well as the peoples conquered by the Republic and Empire.
Appian wrote of the Siege of Numantia that the besieged, being out of other foods, boiled the hides of animals for sustenance. When that source was exhausted, they, “boiled and ate the bodies of human beings, first those who had died a natural death, chopping them in small bits for cooking.” When the resulting meals sickened the people, “the stronger laid hands on the weaker”. Appian reported that the people who partook in cannibalism were made “savage in mind by their food”. The people were reduced to the behavior and appearance of “wild beasts” and were in such condition when they appealed to the Roman commander, Scipio, for terms.