Archaeologists found bones of a Stone Age child and an adult in Irish cave

Chance discovery is fresh evidence of Knocknarea’s Stoneage links

1/3. Dr Marion Dowd of IT Sligo in the Knocknarea cave which contained Neolithic human bones

Archaeologists at IT Sligo have found bones of a Stone Age child and an adult in a tiny cave high on Knocknarea mountain near the town.

Radiocarbon dating has shown that they are some 5,500 years old, which makes them among the earliest human bones found in the county.

The find represents important fresh evidence of Knocknarea’s Neolithic (Stone Age) links and a prehistoric practice known as “excarnation”.

Researchers discovered a total of 13 small bones and bone fragments in an almost inaccessible cave last November.

Three were from the child and 10 from the adult. They included foot bones and fragments of skull.
The adult was aged 30 to 39 and the child of 4 to 6 years. It was not possible to establish gender.

“It’s an enormously exciting discovery,” said Dr Marion Dowd of IT Sligo, who is Ireland’s only specialist in the archaeology of Irish caves. [...] irishmirror.ie


Actualización 05-03-14. Descubiertos huesos neolíticos en una pequeña cueva irlandesa
Han hallado huesos de un niño y un adulto del Neolítico en una pequeña cueva en lo alto del monte Knocknarea cerca de la ciudad de Sligo (Irlanda)
La datación por radiocarbono revela que tienen unos 5.500 años, lo que los sitúa entre los huesos humanos más antiguos encontrados en el condado. El hallazgo constituye una nueva e importante evidencia de las relaciones de Knocknarea con el Neolítico, y también de la práctica prehistórica conocida como "excarnación".