In the Czech Republic, archaeologists excavated unusual burials discovered in a flint mine. Bone examination and DNA analysis revealed that the remains belonged to two adult women, likely sisters. However, the newborn child buried nearby was not a close relative, and the women themselves engaged in heavy physical labor. The study's findings were published in the journal Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences.
Flint was an important resource for people of the past, as it was used to make a significant portion of stone tools when available. Some of the largest deposits of this rock in Europe are located in what is now the Czech Republic, in the Krumlov Forest, located in southern Moravia. Since the end of the last century, archaeologists have explored this area and discovered evidence of mining that began at least as early as the Mesolithic and continued into the Iron Age, when the Hallstatt culture lived in the region. Moreover, local people not only engaged in surface collection but also developed full-scale mines.
Eva Vaníčková of the Moravian Museum, along with her Czech colleagues, presented the results of a study of finds from a shaft within this archaeological complex. During excavations, the scientists discovered human burials. At a depth of six meters, the archaeologists stumbled upon the skeleton of an adult, alongside the skull of a small dog. A meter deeper lay the skeleton of another adult, alongside the remains of a newborn child and dog bones.
The Czech scientists devoted their article to human remains. To determine the age of the burials, they submitted the bones of one individual for radiocarbon dating. The results showed that the remains date back to the period between 4340 and 4050 BC and are likely associated with the Lengyel archaeological culture, which existed in the late Neolithic and Chalcolithic periods.
These turned out to be adult women who lived between 30 and 40 years. They were small in stature (around 146–148 centimeters) and suffered from a number of health conditions, yet they engaged in extensive physical labor during their lifetimes. For example, they could easily have performed heavy labor at this flint deposit and were subsequently buried there or sacrificed (the exact cause of death could not be determined). The third individual was a tiny newborn, 38 to 40 weeks from conception.
Genetic analysis revealed that both women were likely related—possibly sisters. However, the child found nearby was unrelated to either woman. Furthermore, ancient DNA analysis allowed for a certain degree of certainty in the facial features of both women, which anthropologists subsequently used to reconstruct their appearances. In one case, the woman likely had brown or green eyes and possibly dark hair. In the other case, the woman was highly likely blue-eyed and fair-haired.
Among other things, the scientists examined the dental calculus of these individuals and analyzed the isotopic composition of nitrogen, carbon, and strontium in their remains. These analyses revealed that they were likely of local origin, and that their diet included significant amounts of meat or dairy products. The latter indicates that either these individuals, engaged in heavy physical labor, were supplemented with farm animals or that they ate game.
Archaeologists discovered equally unusual burials of human remains in England, where they excavated a ritual shaft containing the bones of at least 21 individuals. However, this unusual site dates back to a later era—the first centuries AD.
