Oldest Human Remains in Northern Britain Identified as 11,000-Year-Old Girl
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The oldest human remains ever discovered in Northern Britain have been identified as a young girl who lived approximately 11,000 years ago. The find in a Cumbrian cave, which includes ancient jewelry, provides some of the earliest evidence of human activity in Britain after the last Ice Age.
Facts First
- A child's remains found in Cumbria are the oldest in Northern Britain, dating to about 11,000 years ago.
- DNA analysis shows the child was a girl aged 2.5 to 3.5 years, named 'Ossick Lass' by the excavator.
- The burial is the third oldest Mesolithic burial known in northwestern Europe, with jewelry including a pierced deer tooth and beads.
- The cave contains burials from three distinct prehistoric periods, indicating use over millennia.
- The discovery pushes back the timeline of known human activity in the region, surpassing a previous 10,000-year-old record.
What Happened
Excavations at Heaning Wood Bone Cave near Great Urswick in Cumbria, led by local archaeologist Martin Stables, uncovered human remains. An international team led by researchers from the University of Lancashire extracted DNA from the bones three years after they were found. The analysis showed the child was female and likely between 2.5 and 3.5 years old at the time of death. Archaeologists also uncovered jewelry at the cave, including a pierced deer tooth and beads, which were carbon dated to approximately 11,000 years ago. The research detailing the discovery was published in the Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society Journal.
Why this Matters to You
This discovery reshapes our understanding of early British history, showing that people returned to and thrived in northern regions