“When a team of archaeologists began excavating an old coral reef in Vanuatu in 2008 and 2009, they soon discovered it had served as a cemetery in ancient times. So far, 71 buried individuals have been recorded, giving new information on the islands’ inhabitants and their funeral rites.
“This is a groundbreaking discovery, as it is the oldest and biggest skeleton find ever in the Pacific Ocean; bigger cemeteries found further east are much younger,” says Mads Ravn, head of research at the University of Stavanger’s Museum of Archaeology in Norway.
Relatives did not treat their dead gently. Besides being headless, some of them had had their arms and legs broken, in order to fit into the coral reef cavities. Ravn suggests they may have been left to rot first, and buried later as skeletons.”
Read more at Science Daily
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Hm .. without the head … 5 skulls on one skeleton… I wonder what type of reasoning was behind this .. Did they see different upon the mind than on the body … and if so, in what way. The fact that 5 have been found on one skeleton … for company? Protection? What power is in those skulls then? And why would they want to protect the skeleton, or give it company or whatever if the whole self would have been in the skull. Evil spiritis in either skull or skeleton that killed them? Or did they all become mentally ill by the end and was this a way to heal them (not very likely I’d say).
Skulls of your family in your house …. so that they are still there with you … my …
Oh, how nice….I’ve got images of these poor people being left around until little enough of them was left before being snapped & shoved around to fit into their final resting place (if you can call it that).
Still, 3,000 years old? I really think that’s fascinating finding the remains of a human who lived back then.
I always remember a fascinating programme I saw on the ‘tattooed lady’ who was discovered in ice (similarly, she was thousands of years old) and was so beautifully preserved, even her hair was intact. She had all of these tattoos over her arms & hands, like she was some sort of warrior. Really was so incredibly interesting.
LC x
Headless skeletons? so what’s that picture then? unless I am very much mistaken it is a skull!