Archaeologists have found a preserved ancient human brain aged 2, 6 thousand years.
According to archaeologists, the skull belonged to a man who was beheaded in the territory of the modern city of York in the 6th century BC.
Surprisingly, the skull itself (along with two vertebrae) was discovered back in 2009. Nothing special was noticed in him then.
But I looked through the hole in its base and, to my surprise, I saw a light yellow porous substance.
- Rachel Cubitt, Archaeologist
When the brain was taken out, it was almost perfectly intact.
York specialists continued to study the remains. Examination of the teeth and bones of the skull showed that the remains belong to a man who at the time of death was between 26 and 45 years old. The man was killed with a strong blow to the neck, after which his head was cut off with a sharp knife. The reasons for such a brutal murder, of course, remain a mystery to scientists.
Skull of York / © York Archaeological Trust
Usually corpses are buried in the ground, where they gradually rot and decompose, but this skull was placed in a hole that was dug in moist clay soil. This environment allows you to almost completely isolate the remains from oxygen, which means that they will hardly decompose. True, the skin, hair and tissues of the face of the decapitated person nevertheless rotted after such a long time, but the fats and proteins of the brain combined and formed large molecules. As a result, the brain itself shrank, but retained its shape and characteristics.