Is this the oldest burial site in the world? Archaeologists find human remains carefully arranged in bat-infested cave

Scottish Sun

4 days ago

A team of students will take years to fully excavate the Stone Age site
BATCAVE BURIAL Is this the oldest burial site in the world? Archaeologists find human remains carefully arranged in bat-infested cave
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ARCHAEOLOGISTS may have found the oldest burial site in the world - after discovering carefully arranged human remains dating back 100,000 years.
Boffins made the groundbreaking find at a bat-infested cave in Israel - where they unearthed ancient yet well-preserved bodies in neat formations.
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Archaeologists may have found the oldest burial site in the world
Credit: AP
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Boffins have discovered carefully arranged human remains dating back 100,000 years
Credit: AP
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Professor of Archaeology Yossi Zaidner (C) works in Tinshemet Cave
Credit: AP
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The jaw-dropping discovery may mark itself as the oldest burial site in the world.
Archaeologists were particularly interested in objects found beside the remains - which may have been used in ceremonies or rituals to honour the dead.
These pieces of evidence could shed light on how ancient ancestors thought about the afterlife.
One of the directors of the cutting-edge excavation Yossi Zaidner hailed the find as "an amazing revolutionary innovation for our species".
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The discoveries at Tinshemet Cave in central Israel were published in an academic journal earlier this year.
They build on previous discoveries in northern Israel and add to a growing understanding of the origins of human burial.
Researchers were working at Tinshemet since 2016, and they claim to have unearthed the remains of five early humans that date to around 110,000 to 100,000 years ago.
The fascinating skeletal remains were found arranged in fetal positions in a deep pit.
Objects found around them included basalt pebbles, animal remains or fragments of ochre.
Since these curious objects had no use for daily life, scientists believe they were part of burying rituals.
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Tinshemet Cave is located in the hills of central Israel - and is filled with squeaking fruit bats.
Zaidner said there is stone mound in and outside the cave - which he called one of the three or four most important sites for study of human evolution and behaviour during the Paleolithic time.
The Paleolithic era is known as the Stone Age because of the onset of stone tools.
It lasted from as early as 3.3 million years ago until around 10,000 years ago.
Tinshemet Cave is from the Middle Paleolithic era, roughly between 250,000 to 30,000 years ago.
Findings from the extraordinary cave were published in March - with a key discovery being the remains of five early humans.
Researchers are now using hand chisels and delicate, pen-sized pneumatic drills that resemble dental tools, to pick apart their findings.
But they will need many more years to fully excavate the site.
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Th full excavation will take years
Credit: AP
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Researchers found fascinating objects near the remains
Credit: AP
A dozen archaeology students have spread out across the site, painstakingly documenting and removing each fragment of tool, object or bone.
Archaeology professor Christian Tryon said: "Tinshemet is exceptionally important to archaeologists because the local climate preserved the bones, tools, and ornaments in good condition, unlike many other parts of the world where these items were lost to time."
The high quality of preservation is said to be because of ash from frequent fires, possibly from rituals.
The large amount of ash mixed with rainfall and Israel's acidic limestone, created optimal conditions for preservation, the professor added.
One skeleton was in such good condition that archaeologists could see how the skeleton's fingers were interwoven, with their hands clasped beneath their head.
Tyron said the new finds at Tinshemet Cave back up earlier digs at Skhul and Qafzeh caves, showing early humans were starting to bury their dead more widely.
The older sites, dug decades ago, left many questions, but Tinshemet's precise dating confirms the pattern.
Some experts even argue burials may go back 200,000 years - citing the Homo naledi in South Africa.
But many scientists doubt the claims, saying there is not enough evidence and calling the ideas controversial.
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The fruit bat-infested Tinshemet Cave is located in central Israel
Credit: AP