The skeleton is about 2,000 years old, researchers say

Jul 28, 2015 08:24 GMT  ·  By

The remains of a woman with an alien-like, elongated skull were unearthed not long ago by archaeologists in Russia. The skeleton was recovered from an archaeological site in the country's Chelyabinsk Oblast called Arkaim. 

While the skeleton appears to be about 2,000 years old, the archaeological site of Arkaim dates back to about 4,000 years ago. In those days, it was a settlement of the Sintashta-Petrovka culture and covered an area of about 20,000 square meters (about 215,000 square feet).

Discovered in 1987, the settlement comprised a central square surrounded by dwellings. Walls designed to keep intruders at bay and protect its inhabitants encircled it. It in heydays, it was home to around 1,500 to 2,500 people.

Finding the woman's skeleton at Arkaim was merely a coincidence

What with the recently unearthed skeleton being millennia younger that the archaeological site of Arkaim, researchers are quite convinced that it is in no way connected to the ancient settlement and that finding it in the area was purely a coincidence.

As for why the woman's skull is oddly elongated and looks like that of a being from outer space, it is believed that the peculiar shape is the end result of traditional head bonding.

“We have found a well-preserved skeleton. Her skull was elongated because the tribe did so by tying up the heads of their children with rope. It was clearly a tradition in the tribe,” explained archaeologist Maria Makurova in an interview, as cited by DM.

Researchers can only make educated guesses about the woman's identity

As is the case with many skeletons, establishing the woman's identity is proving a wee tricky. At least for now, archaeologists can only make educated guesses about who she was, based on where her body was found and the odd shape of her skull.

A closer examination of the skeletal remains is in order to confirm this hypothesis, but word has it that the bones belong to a woman who was a member of a tribe that once populated territories in present-day Ukraine, Kazakhstan and Russia.

“I would not exclude the possibility that the skeleton belongs to a woman from the Sarmati tribe that lived in the territories of what is now modern day Ukraine, Kazakhstan and southern Russia,” said researcher Maria Makurova.

2,000-year-old skeleton found in Russia (5 Images)

2,000-year-old human remains unearthed in Russia
The skeleton was found at the site of ArkaimThe bones belong to a woman
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