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Unusual Neolithic burial customs in Slovakia
Excavations at Vráble-Ve`Ike Lehemby – one of the largest Early Neolithic sites in Central Europe – have been ongoing since 2012 by teams from the Collaborative Research Center 1266 at the University of Kiel and the Institute of Archeology of the Slovak Academy of Sciences. Recently , these investigations uncovered an unusual mass grave containing 38 individuals whose heads had been severed — a practice currently unknown at any other Neolithic site in the region.
Analysis of the bones did not reveal cut marks on any of the vertebrae, suggesting that the individuals may not have been decapitated during their lifetime. Instead, their heads were probably carefully removed after a period of decomposition. It is hoped that further analysis will shed more light on this apparently unique burial practice.
Earliest Bone Weapons in the Americas
A recent re-examination of bone fragments embedded in mastodon ribs suggests they may be the remains of the earliest known bony ejection site in the Americas.
The fragments were discovered during excavations at the Manis site in northwestern Washington state between 1977 and 1979. In 2011, research confirmed that they came from mastodons and dated them to about 13,900 years ago, making it the first bone catapult site discovered that predates the Clovis culture (about 13,000 years ago). More recently, further research was able to reconstruct the original warhead, showing that it had a similar shape to the one made of stone. The researchers were also able to confirm that it was made of dense cortical bone, possibly from a single long bone, and that it originated from a different species of mastodon than the one in which the embedding was found.
notre dame is dead
Analysis of two lead sarcophagi found under the floor of Notre Dame Cathedral last year has revealed new details about their owners. The first person was identified on the basis of a brass plaque on the coffin that stated the deceased was named Antoine de la Porte, a wealthy 18th-century canon of Notre Dame , is known to have contributed to the renovation of the cathedral’s choir.
The second remains anonymous, but since this coffin was buried much deeper than the other, a meter below the cathedral floor, it may be older. Examination of the skeletal remains suggested they may have come from a man who died between the ages of 25 and 40. His skeletal changes suggest that he rode a lot, and the poor condition of his teeth suggests that he suffered from poor health later in his life. Interestingly, his skull shows signs of intentional modification during childhood by wearing a headgear or headband.
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