One of the oldest entombment chambers in theIberian Peninsulahas been discover in a cave in northern Spain , with bones from within the infernal region dated to over 6,000 years ago . Representing some of the earliestNeolithichuman remains ever distinguish in the region , the find provides a rarified brainstorm into the funerary customs of the full point .
earlier discovered in 1979 , the Galería del Sílex was initially consider to have been occupied during the Bronze Age , around 3,000 years ago . However , after noticing six Neolithic ceramic vessels lie alongside human bones in one of the pits , research worker adjudicate to reevaluate the years of the remains .
Radiocarbon see behave on four off-white belong to three disjoined individual discover that the web site was used as a burial bedchamber for a period of about 3,000 year . The former of the remains was dated to around 6,250 geezerhood ago , while the most late look to have been interred approximately 3,450 geezerhood ago .
This means that the Galería del Sílex was in use from the Early Neolithic all the way through to the Bronze Age . Fascinatingly , the oldest bones at the site predate the growth of Neolithic funerary traditions in Iberia by about 1,000 years .
And while some scholars have debate the mapping of thecave , the cogitation authors provide compelling grounds that it was indeed used as a burial chamber . “ The human remains from Galería del Sílex were not found within a domestic context of human occupancy of the cave , but rather within two pit ( simas ) locate more than three hundred meters [ 984 feet ] from the ancient entrance , ” they write .
“ This suggests that Galería del Sílex could have been an area reserved for depositing deceased humans during the Early Neolithic . ”
In classifying the cave as a funerary place , the research worker are able to paint a flick of prehistoric life - and death - in the Sierra de Atapuerca , where the site is located . note that the part ’s two other notable Neolithic sites - have a go at it as El Portalón and El Mirador - were used as living quarter and livestock stalls respectively , the study authors are capable to present new sixth sense into the spacial dynamics of Stone Age closure .
Overall , they say that their work “ highlights a alone solidifying of occupations in Sierra de Atapuerca during the Early Neolithic , in which the use of dissimilar caves was specialized for unlike purposes : occupational in El Portalón , stock exploitation in El Mirador , and funerary in [ Galería del Sílex ] . ”
The report is published in the journalQuaternary Science Reviews .
