Bronze Age Burial Found in Romania

DRĂGUŞENI, ROMANIA—Romania Insider reports that a 3,000-year-old skeleton has been found in eastern Romania in what was once a burial mound attributed to the Yamnaya culture. Adela Kovacs of the Botoşani County Museum said that she and her colleagues from the Archaeological Institute of Iaşi, the Silesian University in Opava, and the Silesian Museum in the Czech Republic have been investigating the area and the two large tumuli at the site, which had been damaged by farming. Traces of red ocher have been found on the skeleton’s head and legs. It is thought to be related to a ritual related to rebirth, blood, and the afterlife, Kovacs explained. “The body’s position is curled,” she added. “Initially, it was placed on its back, with the knees brought to the chest, suggesting a fetal position. This baby position [also] represents the return to earth through a future birth.” Further study of the bones will attempt to determine the age, sex, and diet of the deceased. To read about farming communities in the Danube Gorges region in present-day Romania and Serbia, go to "Europe's First Farmers."