According to Tim in Once Were Canni

According to Tim in Once Were Cannibals, evidence found in Croatia points to cannibalism amongst Neanderthal tribes. The bones of Neanderthals were discovered during an archeological excavation, which suggest that humans ate the brains of other humans. Panche Hadzi-Andonov wrote in Cannibalism and Archeology that some of the criteria archeologists use to identify cannibalism from human remains includes evidence of brain exposure, facial mutilation, burnt bone, dismemberment, cut marks, bone breakage hammerstone abrasions, and missing vertebrae. Although not all of the criteria was met when studying the bones found in Croatia, the most crucial key elements were present, including crushing of the heads and bones, burning of the bodies, suggesting they had been roasted over fire and evidence of a hammering to split the brain open.