Prehistoric Britain: Scientists decode 11,000-year-old DNA and discover Britain’s oldest human was a three-year-old girl | World News
The incredible archaeological discovery in Cumbria has changed some parts of Britain’s prehistoric timeline because the latest DNA testing showed that “the oldest northerner” was an infant girl aged about three who lived about 11,000 years ago. The prehistoric human bones unearthed in Heaning Wood Bone Cave, close to Great Urswick, represent one of the oldest known Mesolithic burials in northern Britain. Archaeologists from the University of Central Lancashire managed to gather information about this child, referred to as the “Ossick Lass”, using the methods of radiocarbon dating, ancient DNA testing, and archaeology.
Ancient DNA reveals identity of Britain’s “oldest northerner”
Remains were initially found during excavations conducted by local archaeologist Martin Stables within a cave close to Great Urswick in Cumbria. In addition, the results showed using DNA analysis that the child was female and most likely was aged two-and-a-half to three-and-a-half years when she died.As explained by experts from the University of Cambridge, the burials are estimated to date back some 11,000 years to the early Mesolithic era, following the conclusion of the last ice age. The results were presented in the Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society and described as one of the most significant finds of prehistoric times in northern Britain for many years. According to the lead researcher, Dr Rick Peterson:“This is the first time we can be so specific about the age of a child’s remains and be sure that they belong to a female individual.”The child received the nickname “Ossick Lass” using the local Cumbrian dialect, which translates as “Urswick girl”, to help link the child with the place where she had been buried some thousands of years ago.
Mesolithic burial sheds light on prehistoric Britain
According to the archaeologists, the cave was specifically chosen for the burial practices throughout different prehistoric time periods. Along with the skeleton of the child, archaeologists also unearthed shell necklaces and a deer tooth necklace, which were also dated back to the same period.These finds indicate the existence of proper and significant funeral practices carried out by hunter-gatherers who probably regarded caves as sacred spaces. As reported by the archaeologists, similar examples of burial practices in caves have also been found in other parts of northern Europe.As pointed out by Dr Peterson,“Most modern hunter-gatherers consider caves as an entrance to the spirit world.”What makes this particular find even more important is the fact that prehistoric human remains are rare in comparison to other parts of England, particularly southern England or Wales. This is mainly because of the glaciers during the Ice Age that changed the geography of the area.
Why the “Urswick Girl” discovery matters
But for the archaeologists, this finding reveals something much deeper. This is an insight into how human emotions were formed in the lives of the first inhabitants of the British Isles. Careful interment of a child implies that emotional relations, ritual practices, and organised society existed much earlier than the advent of written sources.In his description of the feeling caused by finding this discovery, Martin Stables stated that it was the burial of someone else’s child “over 11,000 years ago”. Moreover, experts have found evidence that the cave was used as a burial place for at least eight people who had died in different periods of prehistory.Thanks to scientific advancements in ancient DNA science, finds like the Ossick Lass are becoming more and more common and allow scientists to understand the way of life of the first inhabitants of the British Isles after the end of the last ice age.
