The skull was discovered in Norway earlier this year, dates back to the Stone Age

Aug 6, 2014 20:13 GMT  ·  By

Not too long ago, archaeologists carrying out excavations in Norway stumbled upon an ancient skull that they say appears to have bits and pieces of the brain it served to protect still attached to it.

Information shared with the public says that, according to evidence at hand, this skull dates back to the Stone Age. More precisely, it is estimated to be about 8,000 years old.

Specialists who have had the chance to examine it say the skull likely belonged to a small child, possibly even an infant. For the time being, it is unclear how and why this child passed away.

The skull was found in a region that specialists say used to accommodate for a human settlement. Thus, several stone axes, burnt bones, and remains of ancient weapons have until now been unearthed in this location, Live Science informs.

This is yet to be confirmed, but archaeologists busy excavating this site believe that, thousands of years ago, this settlement served as a semipermanent home for hunter-gatherers inhabiting present day Norway, the same source details.

By the looks of it, the 8,000-year-old skull was found close to the skeletal remains of an adult. Whether or not the child and the adult were in any way related or if maybe they were laid to rest one next to the other by chance remains a mystery.

Archaeologists say that, when they first came across the skull, this skeletal fragment was encased in concrete-like sandy soil that filled a bathtub-like pit. Animal body parts similar to deer antlers were found next to the human remains in this pit.

Due to the hardness of the sandy soil around the skull, researchers found themselves unable to properly excavate the skeletal remains. Hence, they settled for pulling it out of the ground while still partly encased in dirt. They are now working on cleaning it up in laboratory conditions.

While examining this skeletal fragment, archaeologists could not help but notice bits and pieces of matter clinging to it. This matter is spongy and clay-like. Based on these preliminary observations, specialists suspect that they might be dealing with ancient brain fragments.

Needless to say, future investigations are needed in order to confirm this theory. The scientists now studying these human remains plan to also conduct other tests and hope they will soon figure out whether or not the child and the adult were related.

Information obtained while analyzing the makeup of these human remains unearthed in present day Norway is expected to also help researchers gain a better understanding of what people used to eat and how they lived back in the Stone Age.