3,700-Year-Old Well-Preserved Brain, Skin From Bronze Age Individuals Found During Excavation in Turkey

Well-preserved remains believed to be from individuals who lived during the Bronze Age were found during an excavation in Turkey. The researchers thought they died from the fire.

Well-Preserved Brain, Skin Discovered in Turkey

The unusual findings were discovered at the Tavşanl Mound (also known as Tavşanl Höyük), which is located in the western Anatolian peninsula province of Turkey. The mound is known as the "Heart of Western Anatolia" because, from above, it looks to have a heart shape.

The unusual brain and skin remnants were uncovered at the site during recent excavations that scientists from Bilecik Şeyh Edebali University directed.

The remains reportedly belonged to a young man between 15 and 18 when he passed away and another middle-aged male between 40 and 45. According to researchers, these people perished during an attack some 3,700 years ago when their dwellings were set on fire, and they could not escape.

The research's principal investigator, archaeologist Erkan Fidan from Bilecik Şeyh Edebali University, claims that the mound is the oldest village in the area and was probably the region's capital during the Bronze Age.

Evidence points to a significant assault on the city sometime about 1700 B.C. that caused the entire settlement to be destroyed by fire.

According to Ylmaz Selim Erdal of Hacettepe University's Anthropology Department, the fact that both skeletons appeared to have been subjected to intense heat caused the brain tissue to be preserved inside the skull.

In one of the skeletons, between the chest and the abdomen, the archaeologists discovered skin fragments that had also been carbonized by heat. Carbonization turns a substance into carbon, usually through burning or heating or during the fossilization process.

The most recent discoveries mark the first time in the nation that such skin remains have been discovered during archaeological investigations. On the other hand, the preserved brain material has been discovered four or five times before, according to the researchers.

The archaeologists are investigating the motive for the attack on the community and possible suspects.

The finding was presented at the European Association of Archaeologists conference between Aug. 30 and Sept. 2 of this year in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

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Other Discovery in Turkey

An 8.7 million-year-old skull of Sahelanthropus tchadensis, which is thought to be the earliest known species in the human family, was also found in Turkey. The discovery suggests that our ancestors came from Europe and not Africa.

The skull belonged to the recently found primate Anadoluvius turkae. It is the earliest example of early hominines, such as humans and African gorillas. Scientists claim that the skull demonstrates that hominins lived in western and central Europe for almost five million years before traveling from the Mediterranean to Africa.

The skull was found at the Orakyerler fossil in Cankiri, a Turkish city about 87 miles north of Ankara. Researchers claim that Anadoluvius was between 110 and 130 pounds, lived in dry woodland, and spent much time on the ground.