Buried for over 3,000 years: Why this mysterious human skull and turtle-shaped artifact have archaeologists excited about a forgotten civilization

In El Salvador, archaeologists are busy studying a pre-Hispanic burial site dating back to around 850 B.C. The burial site includes a human skull, a ceramic vessel shaped like a sea turtle and preserved cassava branches, according to a news release from El Salvador’s Ministry of Culture. An excavation of the remains began on July 21. According to experts, this could be one of the oldest burials in Mesoamerica and they are conducting DNA and radiocarbon tests. The remains were first uncovered on July 2.

ALSO READ: Telegram CEO Pavel Durov on Russia's wanted list

Human skull that may be more than 3,000 year old found

During the excavation, a human skull was found alongside a small Usulután ceramic vessel shaped like a sea turtle and layers of volcanic ash also preserved the remnants of cassava branches. The remains, discovered lying face down, will undergo radiocarbon dating to establish their age. Researchers are also carrying out DNA analysis to determine the individual's sex, according to El Salvador's Ministry of Culture.


ALSO READ: Tech billionaires are flocking to America's second-most expensive metro area

“Due to its antiquity, this find could become one of the oldest pre-Hispanic burials in Mesoamerica and would provide new information about the populations that inhabited this region more than two thousand years ago,” El Salvador’s Ministry of Culture said in a Facebook post.

"This find could become one of the oldest pre-Hispanic burials in Mesoamerica and would provide new information about the populations that inhabited this region more than two thousand years ago," the ministry said in a social media post along with a video of archaeologists working at the site.

The project is being led by archaeologist Carlos Flores Manzano, a doctoral candidate at Yale University, under the supervision of conservators and archaeologists from the National Directorate of Culture.

The Culture Ministry added that the find would provide new information about the populations that inhabited the region more than two thousand years ago. The remains were found face down and will undergo radiocarbon dating to determine their age. DNA tests are also being carried out to identify the person's gender, according to El Salvador's Ministry of Culture.

26 complete skeletons, three isolated skulls found at Chalchuapa site

The ministry said the site may contain burials similar to those uncovered at the Chalchuapa archaeological site in western El Salvador, where archaeologists unearthed the remains of 33 people in the 1970s. That discovery included 26 complete skeletons, four partial skeletons and three isolated skulls. Many were found face down with their hands and feet bound, while others showed signs of mutilation or decapitation.