In the early 80s, during the construction of a road, workers discovered many human skulls. Construction work was immediately stopped, and scientists began research. The result was 177 human remains that were surprisingly well preserved, many of the skulls even containing brains. But to the surprise of scientists, dating showed that their age is 7-8 thousand years. As a result, this discovery became the first in history when a brain was preserved on the skeleton of an ancient person. The whole secret is that the burial was located at the bottom of the Windofer peat bog, located in Florida (USA). Recent research has revealed many new interesting facts about this find.
Scientists have discovered almost 800 human remains in the ancient swamp
Bodies in Windover Swamp
Windover Swamp is a unique place in North America for several reasons. First of all, the age of the swamp makes it an archaeological and historical monument, since it is one of the oldest in the region. In addition, underwater burials are generally very rare, and such a massive one has been discovered for the first time.
To gain access to all the remains, scientists had to pump water out of the swamp. To do this, they dug about 200 wells 10 meters deep around the drained area, into which all the water went. The discovered burials turned out to be quite unusual — all the bodies were buried in a bent position and lay on their sides, that is, they were in the fetal position.
Scientists drained the swamp to conduct excavations. Photo source: myfloridahistory.org
According to the study, among 177 buried remains, scientists found people of all ages — from newborns to the elderly over 60 years of age. However, 50% of the buried remains were children. One of the bodies belonged to a pregnant woman who died a few days before giving birth. Many people were buried with various artifacts made of stone, wood and animal horns. For example, a three-year-old girl was clutching in her hands the shell of a small turtle and a wooden object resembling a pestle.
Who was buried at the bottom of the swamp
Initially, experts suggested that the age of the skeletons did not exceed 500-600 years, but later dating showed that the burials were between 6990 and 8120 years old. At the same time, scientists found remains of brains in more than 90 skulls, and in some skulls the brain was completely preserved. Due to the fact that the finds were immediately frozen, they are well preserved to this day.
Currently, these remains are the best studied in terms of ancient human DNA. Research has shown that all people belonged to the same people, as evidenced by the common sequence in a very variable part of the genome.
People in the ancient lake were buried in the fetal position. Photo source: mru.ink
Apparently, all people belonged to the same people, as evidenced by the common sequence in a very variable part of the genome. The variants that have been found in humans are called X6 and X7, the study said. These same variants have been found in many modern Native American populations. They are also available to people who live in the vicinity of Windover. This indicates that the population came to the New World during the initial migration.
Why the bodies in Windover Swamp are well preserved
In addition to the remains of bodies in the Windover swamp, scientists also discovered plant fibers, several thousand elderberry seeds, pieces of fabric, etc. In one of the women, who died at the age of about 35, in the stomach, researchers even identified food remains, such as fish scales, seeds of various herbs and berries, as well as pieces of nuts.
Scientists have recreated the appearance of one of the women whose remains were discovered at the bottom of a swamp. Photo source: dzen.ru
It must be said that in Europe there are also many peat bogs, but the remains in them are not so well preserved. Therefore, Windover Swamp remains a mystery. According to scientists, the reason may be the low density of the soil, the high content of minerals in the water and high acidity.
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The study showed that at a depth of several centimeters the soil does not contain oxygen. Together, these factors inhibit the development of bacteria and fungi that are involved in the decomposition of the body. Of course, insects, which quickly flock to the body of a deceased person, and some of them, such as flies, are capable of penetrating to great depths into coffins, did not have access to the bodies. You can read more about them at the link.