Skeleton found at building site intrigues scientists

CAPE TOWN - Archaeologists in Cape Town are on high alert following the discovery of human remains on a building site in the coastal suburb of Melkbosstrand.

A skeleton that is believed to be that of a male could be dated back as far as 3,000 years.

At least one archaeologist believes it is highly likely that more remains could be buried beneath the luxury homes of the coastal suburb.

Louisa Hutten, an archaeologist from the University of Cape Town, and her team have been working endlessly on the site since the first findings, and their hard work paid off this week.

“And then when we came into excavate, we actually found another skeleton which was very nice because we could sort of identify the grave of the skeleton and the position that the skeleton was lying in,” said Hutten.

Hutten was especially excited because the latest findings are much more complete and allows them to learn even more about the people who occupied the area.

“It sort of gives us an idea of how the people occupied the landscape and what they ate and the way they lived on the landscape. And we can learn more from the skeletons itself - the age and if they have some sort of disease or malnutrition or anything like that,” she said.

Hutten and her team are hoping to wrap up their work as soon as possible, and once their work is done, she will make a recommendation to Heritage Western Cape to always have an archaeologist on site while building recommences... (Video) enca.com

Hallan esqueleto de más de tres mil años en Sudáfrica
Arqueólogos sudafricanos hallaron en Ciudad del Cabo (suroeste), y en casi perfecto estado el esqueleto de un homínido varón que vivió hace más de tres mil años, reseñó la revista científica South African Journal of Science (SAJS).
 
Los restos fueron descubiertos metros abajo de los cimientos de una obra en construcción en el barrio costero de Melkbosstrand. La figura estaba tendida en posición fetal a modo aparentemente ritual.

La científica en antropología forense Louisa Hutten, de la Universidad Cape Town, explicó que este hallazgo aportará muchos elementos positivos al estudio sobre paisaje y adaptación alimenticia de estos primeros humanos en la región. telesurtv.net