October 12, 2015

Unusual Burials found at a Site Dating Back to 7,000 CE in California

A  site in California, Marsh Creek Village, that stretches back 7,000 years has been found with unusual burials. Six individuals were decaptitated and six others with an extra skull by their sides. In two graves, the skulls have been crafted into polished bowls. There are no signs of violence. The site was uncovered in 2002. They found 500 burials, and artifacts dating back 7,000 years. These were people who lived as sedentary hunter-gatherers, eating acorns, seeds, fish and small game. The ones found with no skulls and those with extra skulls buried with them are not unique. Researchers have studied the chemistry of the teeth and bones of 200 individuals at the site. The burials with the skull ritual had the same strontium signature in their teeth as the others at Marsh Creek. And there was no sign of violence or injury. The skull ritual may have been related to kinship and ancestor worship. Often, in these kinds of cases, bones are made into flutes and whistles. The teeth in two of these special burials show a sharp drop in nitrogen in their diet at 12-21 months of age. Both had been weaned from their mothers suddenly and at a young age. Perhaps the mothers died early, and the two were adopted. Perhaps the skulls were re-united with the mother in death.
These findings are posted in the journal American Antiquity.

Western Digs has the report here with photos;
http://westerndigs.org/severed-heads-skull-bowls-found-in-california-graves-were-tributes-not-war-trophies-study-finds/

Mike Ruggeri’s The Ancient America’s Breaking News
http://bit.ly/UbLO7x