Ancient Remains of Child Offer Wealth of Information on Ice Age Humans
28.02.2011 - Human Dimension, Arctic
Cremated remains of a three year-old child found at in an ancient burial pit in central Alaska could provide new insights into the daily lives and burial practices of humans who lived during the last Ice Age. As detailed in a paper recently published in the journal Science radiocarbon dating traces the cremation back 11,500 years ago, when the Bering Land Bridge still connected Alaska to far eastern Russia. The burial site along with a dwelling found nearby are among the earliest ever found in subarctic North America, making them an exceptional find.
Researchers also found remains of small mammals, birds, fish, and plants in the burial pit with the small child. Because they found the human remains in the uppermost part of the pit, the researchers suspect it was not originally used as a grave. They hypothesize that initially a small group of people was foraging in the vicinity of this camp. A pit was dug within a house and used for cooking before the death of the child. When the child died, the house was likely abandoned, as there are no artifacts above the fill.
The research team also highlighted the interdisciplinary nature of the find, as it integrated the study of the synthesis of stone tool technology, cultural affiliation, subsistence economy, seasonal use of the landscape, paleoenvironments and climate change in Ice Age North America.
