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The burial site of a young child who lived 8,000 years ago has been discovered in eastern Finland and offers a rare glimpse into how Stone Age people treated their dead.
Majoonsuo Tomb first caught the attention of researchers in Outokumpu Township in 1992 when bright red ochre, an iron-rich clay, was discovered on the surface of a new supply route in the forest. Red ocher has been associated with rock art as well as ornamentation and burial.
The Finnish Monuments Authority began excavating the site in 2018 due to concerns about erosion and car traffic.
Little was found in the tomb, but the surrounding soil revealed its mysteries in a microscopic analysis recently published in the journal PLOS One in September.
Finland’s Stone Age societies buried their dead in pits. The soil in Finland is so acidic that little remains after thousands of years, meaning traces of archaeological evidence are extremely rare.
A child’s teeth were found in the grave, as were fragments of bird feathers, plant fibers and strands of dog hair after an analysis that used a careful protocol to uncover the microscopic evidence.
Together, these clues paint a portrait of the deceased.
The researchers determined that the teeth belonged to a child between the ages of 3 and 10. Two quartz arrowheads and two other quartz objects believed to be burial objects were also recovered.
About 24 tiny feather fragments were found, seven of which have been associated with waterfowl. They represent the oldest feather fragments ever found in Finland. It is possible that the child was laid to rest on a down duvet or wrapped in clothing made from waterfowl, such as an old parka or anorak.
A falcon feather was also found in the tomb, believed to have been part of an arrow that was probably once attached to an arrowhead, or used as a decoration on the child’s clothing.
Fine hairs found on the child’s feet belonged to either a dog or a wolf. It is possible that one was buried at the child’s feet, or that the child wore shoes made of dog or wolf fur.
“For example, dogs buried with deceased people have been found at Skateholm, a famous burial site in southern Sweden that dates back around 7,000 years,” said study co-author Kristiina Mannermaa, researcher and associate professor at the Department of Culture at the University of Helsinki. into a statement.
“The discovery at Majoonsuo is sensational, although all that remains of the animal or animals is hair – not even teeth. We don’t even know if it’s a dog or a wolf. The method used shows that traces of fur and feathers can be found even in graves several thousand years old, also in Finland.”
The study’s lead author, Tuija Kirkinen, a postdoctoral researcher at the Department of Culture at the University of Helsinki, carried out the analysis of the plant and animal materials in the soil.
The team collected 60 bags of soil samples and carefully separated organic matter from the soil with water. Three laboratories were used to screen the samples for microparticles and fatty acids and to perform soil analysis. The soil colored by the red ocher had to be carefully sieved and examined in detail using electron microscopes and high-resolution images.
She works on the Animals Make Identities project led by Mannermaa. The research group investigates “social bonds between humans and animals in hunter-gatherer graves” in north-eastern Europe. These links may reveal further insights into the deceased who lived 7,500 to 9,000 years ago. Kirkinen’s work focuses on developing methods to search for tiny remains that help share ancient stories.
Kirkinen also found plant fibers, probably from willow or nettle, which may have been used to make fishing nets, cord to fasten clothing, or bundles of cord. The protocol she developed to search for fibers and fragments in the soil took time, but yielded results.
“The work is very slow and it really made my heart skip a beat when I found tiny fragments of earlier clothing and burial furnishings, especially in Finland where any unburned bones tend to decompose,” she said.
“All of this gives us a very valuable insight into Stone Age burial habits and how people prepared the child for the journey after death.”