Archaeologists in southern France unearthed a late Neolithic burial site in Puisserguier containing the skeleton of an adult woman, aged between 20 and 49 years, raising questions about the circumstances surrounding her death.
The burial, dating back to the Copper Age between 2700 and 2600 BCE, stands out due to the placement of the woman’s severed head on her chest, supported by her right hand. This arrangement indicates a funerary practice that contrasts sharply with typical Neolithic burials of the period, LBV Magazine reported.
The discovery sparked intrigue among experts, raising questions about the symbolic significance of the woman’s decapitation. Researchers are pondering whether it was part of a burial ritual or extraordinary circumstances, GreekReporter.com noted.
Not only was the decapitation notable, but also the care in the arrangement of the body. The woman was laid on her back with her arms crossed, following the norms of the period, as reported by GreekReporter.com. The placement of the skull, along with the intact connections between the skull, lower jaw, and right hand, suggests that this positioning was not accidental or due to natural decomposition, according to Enikos. The anatomically correct positioning and the care in the arrangement of the body suggest respect for the deceased, pointing to a possible ritual rather than social exclusion, Enikos noted.
Radiocarbon dating places the findings in the late phase of the Verazien culture, characteristic of the Languedoc-Roussillon and Catalonia regions, developing between 3000 and 2200 BCE along the Verasan River in southern France.
Researchers have ruled out natural decomposition as the cause of the positioning of the head. The fragmented state of the cervical vertebrae makes it difficult to determine if cuts are present on the bones that could provide direct evidence of deliberate severing. However, the anatomical preservation of the connection between the skull, mandible, and right hand indicates they were covered with soil before decomposition occurred, preventing accidental displacement of the bones, Enikos noted.
No similar burial has been documented in southern France until now, according to Focus Online.
While records of decapitations exist in other European Neolithic sites, these often involve mutilations or less careful arrangements of the body, unlike the treatment observed in this case.
The article was written with the assistance of a news analysis system.
This article was originally published at www.jpost.com
