The most special burial site ever, with 44 sets of remains dating back 1,000-9,600 years is truly a gold mine for archaeologists.
In a mountainous region famous for its Mayan ruins in Belize, a Central American country, scientists have found something even more ancient and precious. A “world of the dead” could pave the way for a series of studies on ancient history in this land.
It is a stone vault full of remains. But the strangest thing is that the 44 sets of remains buried here are not of the same age but span the period of 1,000-9,600 years ago. This is what led the research team to describe the burial site as an “unparalleled treasure”: the examination of these 44 people will create a full picture of their life, food, agricultural activities, epidemics, and diseases. customs… that people in this region have experienced, each stage during 9,000 years of history.
The remains are buried deep in natural stone vaults with additional human intervention to create graves – photo provided by the research team
According to the research team at the University of Exeter (UK), the remains are surprisingly well preserved, possibly thanks to the enclosed space of the natural stone vault. They included adult men, women and children, a surprisingly perfect sample of a primitive population.
They began exploiting this archaeological “treasure” by studying diet and discovering the most ancient time when corn – a popular food crop in today’s life, began to be sown by humans. Cultivation and use: 4,700 years ago. At that time, corn accounted for 1/3 of the diet, but it increased to 70% in just 700 years, a proof of mature agriculture.
Photo provided by the research team
This food crop is also known as the backbone of pre-Mayan-Mayan agriculture, with clear evidence dating back 2,000 years.
Meanwhile, the oldest remains still survive mainly on herbs and berries.
The initial findings were published in the journal Science Advances. Excavation and research of the remains is still ongoing, promising many interesting revelations about a mysterious historical period of the people who most likely participated in building the legendary Maya empire.
