Photo: University of Barcelona
University of Barcelona archaeologists are reporting an exciting find in a cave near the city of Barcelona in Begues.
The archaeologists came upon four well-preserved skeletal remains thought to be nearly 6,400 years-old in a ‘shroud of death’ at the Can Sadurni cave. The find is exciting because the bodies, of one man, one adolescent and two children, are well preserved and found in a unique ritualistic form. A mild landside took place near the cave that unearthed the corpses.
The bodies were found in a fetal position bound together with rope, aligned in the “northern” wall of the cave and covered in a funeral shroud. Numerous household items were also found inside the cave including a vase and the remains of farm animals.
The presentation of the bodies is unique. According to Manual Edo, who is directing the excavations, “The funerary rites here are different to those (seen) elsewhere.” He believes the funerary ritual date back to the early Middle Neolithic period.
Excavations at the Can Sadurni cave have been underway for decades. Last year some prehistoric pottery was discovered thought to be from the Neolithic Age.
The Can Sadurni cave is located on the southern slope of a low hill that overlooks the town of Begues. Over 20 layers of ancient remains and antiquities have been identified dating from 11,000 BC to the past century, inside the cave.