Archaeologists have discovered an ancient burial site in China dating back more than 10 thousand years.

On the island of Hainan, archaeologists have discovered the oldest known burial site dating back 12-13 thousand years. The grave was found in Lobidong Cave, known as the Cave of the Falling Feather, in Sanya city. This was reported on November 11 by the China Daily newspaper.

According to Li Feng, a researcher at the School of Archaeology and Museology at Peking University and head of the excavation, this is "the most clearly identified burial site of the Paleolithic period in southern China."

Preliminary analysis showed that the remains belong to a child. The skeleton was found in a sideways position, with its legs tucked in, and is in good condition. Numerous ornaments made of snail shells, several stone tools and fragments of ocher were found near the head and in the waist area.

Lobidun Cave was first discovered in 1983. During excavations in 1992-1993, human bones, stone and bone products, as well as animal remains were found there. A new stage of research, approved by the State Administration of Cultural Heritage of China, began in 2025. The project involves the Hainan Cultural Relics Institute, Peking University and the Sanya Museum.

Experts noted that the shell ornaments found are the earliest such objects ever discovered in China. This discovery expands knowledge about the island's prehistoric cultures and its connections to Southeast Asia.

The research team will continue to study the find using methods of chronology, sedimentology and molecular biology. The results will be used in the creation of the Lobidun National Archaeological Park.

Earlier, on November 6, Popular Science magazine reported the discovery of a rare Roman funerary monument in the Eichstatt area in southern Germany. It turned out to be a round stone structure with a diameter of about 12 m, which is the base of a tumulus, a burial mound. According to the publication, the building dates back to the 1st century AD.

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