Unearthing History: 4,800-Year-Old Fossil Depicts Cherished Bond Between Mother and Child in Taiwan

Approximately 4,800 years in the past, a youthful mother passed away in close proximity to the Taiwanese shoreline. During a scientific excavation, when her remains were carefully unearthed, archaeologists made a surprising revelation: she had been laid to rest with a six-month-old infant cradled tenderly in her arms. Placed near a stone dwelling, it became evident that this pair had been sent into the afterlife, forever locked in a loving embrace.

The cause of death for the mother and child remains a mystery, as there is no conclusive information available. However, the discovery of this joint burial is a rarity among the Stone Age cultures of the island.

Chu Whei-Lee from Taiwan’s National Museum of Science expresses astonishment at the sight of the young mother cradling her baby. “It is highly likely that they were buried beneath the house by their grieving loved ones,” she speculates, although additional evidence is required to substantiate this hypothesis.

Sharks and Farms

In 2014 and 2015, Chu Whei-Lee and her team made the discovery of the mother and child at the An-ho Neolithic site in Taichung City, Taiwan. This site, believed to have been in use for a minimum of 800 years, was originally situated along Taiwan’s west coast but is now approximately 6.2 miles (10 kilometers) inland.

Although the present location of An-ho is further inland, it was likely a coastal area in ancient times. The presence of over 200 shark teeth found within the site’s dwellings, ash pits, and graves indicates the significance of the sea to the inhabitants, as stated by Chu.

While not the oldest evidence of human habitation on Taiwan, the An-ho site is considered the earliest representation of the Dabenkeng culture in this region of the island. Dabenkeng sites emerged suddenly along Taiwan’s coast roughly 5,000 years ago, leading archaeologists to believe that the Dabenkeng people arrived on the island rather than evolving from pre-existing local cultures.

According to Chengwha Tsang from Taiwan’s Academia Sinica, “The Dabenkeng people were the first farmers in Taiwan, possibly originating from the south and southeast coasts of China around 5,000 years ago. This culture represents the earliest Neolithic culture discovered in Taiwan.”

It is speculated that the Dabenkeng people, originating from Taiwan, subsequently migrated across Oceania and Southeast Asia, carrying their language and culture with them. Tsang suggests that they likely served as the early ancestors of the Austronesian language-speaking communities currently residing in Taiwan and various Pacific islands.

“They were probably the earliest ancestors of the Austronesian language-speaking people living nowadays in Taiwan and on the islands of the Pacific,” Tsang says.

Burial Rites

The discovery of the mother and child burial offers valuable insights not only into the daily lives of the Dabenkeng people but also into their funerary practices.

Among the at least 48 graves at the site, including those of five young children, the mother and child were found. The burial sites contained various grave goods, such as pottery, which were interred alongside the remains. Interestingly, the bodies were laid to rest in a north-south alignment and positioned on their backs, deviating from the facedown posture commonly observed in other burial sites in Taichung.

To gain further understanding, Chu Whei-Lee mentions that the research team has successfully extracted DNA from the discovered remains. These samples have been sent for analysis, with the aim of shedding light on the relationship between the Dabenkeng people, the aboriginal Taiwanese, and cultures across Oceania. This analysis has the potential to provide valuable insights into the genetic connections and cultural exchanges between these groups.

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