Iron Age burial in Scotland reveals brain removal and bone tool-making rituals 2,000 years ago
By
Kristina Killgrove
Crisp on the outside, thoughtful on the inside. A keeper.
Summary
A new analysis of 2,000-year-old skeletons from northern Scotland reveals an unusual Iron Age funeral ritual where a woman's brain was removed and her arm bones were fashioned into tools. The discovery provides archaeologists with new insights into prehistoric social networks and burial traditions in Britain.
Key quotes
· 3 pulledThe inside of the skull of Individual 1 shows cut marks, possibly made during brain removal.
About 2,000 years ago in the far North of Scotland, a woman was buried after her brain was scooped out and her bones were whittled into tools, a new analysis reveals.
The highly unusual burial is giving archaeologists new insight into social networks and funeral traditions in prehistoric Britain.
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