Palaeolithic Funeral Feast Unearthed At Burial Site

By: Bill Waters
09/02/2010 07:04 AM ET

Palaeolithic funeral feast unearthed at burial site. Palaeolithic archaeologists realized the site was used for a funeral feast. Scientists thought they were digging a late Palaeolithic campsite, until they realized the area was used for a funeral feast.

Funeral feasts were common in ancient times. The burial was commemorated with a feast they called a funeral. The burial site was unearthed when archaeologists working in Israel were digging for a Palaeolithic campsite.

The archaeologists discovered tools and huge numbers of animal bones. They found the remains of at least three aurochs – giant extinct cattle – and over 70 tortoise skeletons. The site, from the era known as the Natufian phase, had at least 28 human bodies, ranging from babies to those who would have been elderly for the time – aged about 45.

Natalie Munro from the University of Connecticut in the US and Leore Grossman from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem were especially interested to find two pit-like depressions. They were discovered in the centre of a cave that were too small for habitation. Instead, the depressions contained animal bones.

One depression had the auroch remains which had been butchered. The other contained the tortoise bones and shells, which were mostly intact, and some of which were burned. The team drew the conclusion that the tortoises had been cooked and the meat had then been removed.

In the depressions they found three adult bodies. The excavation took place in Hilazon Tachtit cave in Northern Israel. The middle aged woman probably died of natural causes, and was buried with a strange assortment of individual animal bones. These included the pelvis of a leopard, the wingtip of an eagle, and the skull of a stone marten.

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