New Evidence Suggest Human Ancestor Buried Dead with Flowers
2020-03-04
LRC
TXT
大字
小字
滚动
全页
1Neanderthals may have buried and honored their dead, a new study suggests.
2The early human ancestors may have even used flowers in burials.
3Scientists recently announced their discovery in the publication Antiquity.
4The scientists found the bones of an adult in Shanidar Cave, in the Kurdistan area of northern Iraq.
5The Neanderthal, called Shanidar Z, is believed to have lived up to 70,000 years ago.
6The individual was possibly in his or her 40s or 50s.
7Scientists do not yet know the sex of the individual.
8The cave where the bones were found is already famous in archaeology.
9In 1960, archaeologist Ralph Solecki discovered the remains of 10 Neanderthals - seven adults and three children.
10At the time, small amounts of flower pollen were found in soil around the remains.
11The discovery led Solecki to propose that Neanderthals buried their dead and even had funeral ceremonies with flowers.
12Critics later doubted the "flower burial" explanation.
13They argued that the pollen could have been modern contamination from people, animals or insects.
14Shanidar Z's bones were found in soil containing ancient pollen and plant remains, suggesting the possibility of flower burials.
15Scientists are now further examining the materials.
16Scholars have argued for years about whether Neanderthals buried their dead with funeral ceremonies.
17Emma Pomeroy studies ancient humans at the University of Cambridge.
18She was the lead writer of the recent study.
19She said that what is important about the burial is the aim or purpose behind it.
20"You might bury a body for purely practical reasons, in order to avoid attracting dangerous scavengers," she said.
21Pomeroy added that if more is done "it is important because that indicates more complex, symbolic and abstract thinking, compassion and care for the dead, and perhaps feelings of mourning and loss."
22Shanidar Z appears to have been placed in an area cut into the soil.
23The area has a group of four individuals.
24Graeme Barker, a University of Cambridge archeologist, helped write the study.
25He said the cave may have been used as a burial place for a long period of time.
26"...It seems clear that Shanidar was a special place, with bodies being placed just in one part of a large cave," he said.
27Neanderthals were more strongly built than modern humans, or Homo sapiens.
28They lived in Eurasia from about 400,000 years ago until around 40,000 years ago.
29They then disappeared after modern humans became established.
30Modern non-African human populations are believed to carry small amounts of Neanderthal genetic material known as DNA.
31I'm John Russell.
1Neanderthals may have buried and honored their dead, a new study suggests. The early human ancestors may have even used flowers in burials. Scientists recently announced their discovery in the publication Antiquity. 2The scientists found the bones of an adult in Shanidar Cave, in the Kurdistan area of northern Iraq. The Neanderthal, called Shanidar Z, is believed to have lived up to 70,000 years ago. The individual was possibly in his or her 40s or 50s. Scientists do not yet know the sex of the individual. 3The cave where the bones were found is already famous in archaeology. In 1960, archaeologist Ralph Solecki discovered the remains of 10 Neanderthals - seven adults and three children. 4At the time, small amounts of flower pollen were found in soil around the remains. The discovery led Solecki to propose that Neanderthals buried their dead and even had funeral ceremonies with flowers. 5Critics later doubted the "flower burial" explanation. They argued that the pollen could have been modern contamination from people, animals or insects. 6Shanidar Z's bones were found in soil containing ancient pollen and plant remains, suggesting the possibility of flower burials. 7Scientists are now further examining the materials. 8Scholars have argued for years about whether Neanderthals buried their dead with funeral ceremonies. 9Emma Pomeroy studies ancient humans at the University of Cambridge. She was the lead writer of the recent study. 10She said that what is important about the burial is the aim or purpose behind it. "You might bury a body for purely practical reasons, in order to avoid attracting dangerous scavengers," she said. 11Pomeroy added that if more is done "it is important because that indicates more complex, symbolic and abstract thinking, compassion and care for the dead, and perhaps feelings of mourning and loss." 12Shanidar Z appears to have been placed in an area cut into the soil. The area has a group of four individuals. 13Graeme Barker, a University of Cambridge archeologist, helped write the study. He said the cave may have been used as a burial place for a long period of time. "...It seems clear that Shanidar was a special place, with bodies being placed just in one part of a large cave," he said. 14Neanderthals were more strongly built than modern humans, or Homo sapiens. They lived in Eurasia from about 400,000 years ago until around 40,000 years ago. They then disappeared after modern humans became established. 15Modern non-African human populations are believed to carry small amounts of Neanderthal genetic material known as DNA. 16I'm John Russell. 17Will Dunham reported on this story for Reuters. John Russell adapted it for Learning English. Mario Ritter, Jr. was the editor. 18________________________________________________________________ 19Words in This Story 20Neanderthal - n. a type of early human being that existed very long ago 21archaeology - n. science that deals with past human life and activities by studying the bones, tools, etc., of ancient people 22pollen - n. a number that indicates the amount of pollen in the air and that is used by people who get sick from breathing in pollen 23contamination - n. to make (something) dangerous, dirty, or impure by adding something harmful or undesirable to it 24practical -- adj. logical and reasonable in a particular situation 25scavenger -- n. an animal that eats waste, junk, dead animals, etc. 26indicate -- v. to show that (something) exists or is true 27abstract - adj. relating to or involving general ideas or qualities rather than specific people, objects, or actions of art : expressing ideas and emotions by using elements such as colors and lines without attempting to create a realistic picture 28We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section.