The rediscovery of Noah, a 6,500-year-old skeleton who endured a monumental flood.

The rediscovery of Noah a 6,500-year-old skeleton, who survived a great flood

The rediscovery of 'Noah', a 6,500-year-old skeleton, who survived a Great  Flood

A 6,500-year-old skeleton was unearthed at the Ur site in Iraq. Here, the skeleton was coated in wax in the field and lifted whole along with surrounding dirt.

Scientists at the Penn Museum in Philadelphia are quite literally cleaning the skeletons out of their closets. Museum staff recently rediscovered a 6,500-year- old human skeleton that’s been boxed up in the basement for 85 years.

Tucked away in a storeroom, the wooden box had no identifying numbers or catalogue cards. But a recent effort to digitalize some of the museum’s old records brought forth new information about the mysterious box’s history and the skeleton, nicknamed “Noah,” inside.

The human remains inside the box were originally unearthed between 1929 and 1930 at the site of Ur in modern-day Iraq by Sir Leonard Woolley and his team of archaeologists from the Penn and British Museums, according to the records.

Woolley’s excavation is best known for uncovering the famous Mesopotamian “royal cemetery,” which included hundreds of graves and 16 tombsladen with cultural artefacts. But the archaeologist and his team also discovered graves that preceded Ur’s royal burial ground by about 2,000 years.

The rediscovery of 'Noah', a 6,500-year-old skeleton, who survived a Great  Flood

A lightweight plaster mixture is placed over the covered skeleton, the 6,500-year-old human remains discovered at the Ur site in Iraq, in order to protect it during shipping. The silt is already being cut away under the skeleton to make room for the carrying board.

In a flood plain, nearly 50 feet (15 meters) below the surface of the site of Ur, the team found 48 graves dating back to the Ubaid period, roughly 5500 B.C. to 4000 B.C.

Picture background

Though remains from this period were extremely rare even in 1929, Woolley decided to recover only one skeleton from the site. He coated the bones and surrounding soil in wax, boxed them up and shipped them to London, then Philadelphia.

A set of lists outlined where the artefacts from the 1929 to 1930 dig were headed — while half of the artefacts remained in Iraq, the others were split between London and Philadelphia. One of the lists stated that the Penn Museum was to receive a tray of mud from the excavation, as well as two skeletons.

But when William Hafford, the project manager responsible for digitalizing the museum’s records, saw the list, he was puzzled. One of the two skeletons on the list was nowhere to be found.Picture background

Further research into the museum’s database revealed the unidentified skeleton had been recorded as “not accounted for” as of 1990. To get to the bottom of this mystery, Hafford began exploring the extensive records left by Woolley himself.

After locating additional information, including images of the missing skeleton, Hafford approached Janet Monge, the Penn Museum’s curator of physical anthropology. But Monge, like Hafford, had never seen the skeleton before.

That’s when Monge remembered the mysterious box in the basement.

When Monge opened the box later that day, she said it was clear the human remains inside were the same ones listed as being packed up and shipped by Woolley.

The skeleton, she said, likely belonged to a male, 50 years or older, who would have stood somewhere between 5 feet 8 inches (173 centimetres) to 5 feet 10 inches (178 cm) tall.

Penn Museum researchers have nicknamed the re-discovered skeleton “Noah,” because he is believed to have lived after what archaeological data suggests was a massive flood at the original site of Ur.

New scientific techniques that weren’t yet available in Woolley’s time could help scientists at the Penn Museum determine much more about the time period to which these ancient remains belonged, including diet, ancestral origins, trauma, stress and diseases.

Related Posts

Strange beauty of an unexpected UFO sighting

In recent times, the fascination with unidentified flying objects (UFOs) has reached new heights, fueled by stunning UFO footage that has taken the internet by storm. The allure of the unknown, combined with advances in technology, has …

Read more

NASA is hiding the truth about UFOs: Rare ISS video reveals secrets

In recent times, the fascination with unidentified flying objects (UFOs) has reached new heights, particularly with exclusive sightings captured from the International Space Station (ISS). This article explores the intriguing …

Read more

Familias sorprendidas por la feroz pelea entre dos canguros rojos en un concurrido campamento de Queensland

Por MAKAYLA MUSCAT PARA DAILY MAIL AUSTRALIA Publicado: 07:32 GMT, 12 de junio de 2024 | Actualizado: 23:16 GMT, 12 de junio de 2024 El momento salvaje en el que dos canguros rojos enormes se pelearon en medio de un concurrido campamento de Queensland fue capturado en video. Las imágenes, capturadas …

Read more

Timeless Rose Tattoos: 26+ Beautiful Designs That Capture Elegance and Symbolism for Lasting Inspiration

Roses are a popular choice for tattoos because they have long been associated with beauty, love, and passion. Rose tattoos can have a very personal meaning for each person because of its classic beauty and rich symbolism. There is a design to fit every …

Read more

Preservar las brillantes sonrisas de los niños

La risa de un bebé: la melodía más dulce del mundo No hay sonido más delicioso y conmovedor que la risa de un bebé. Es la melodía más dulce, una sinfonía pura e inocente que trae alegría a todo aquel que la escucha. La risa de un bebé es contagiosa …

Read more

La sonrisa de tu hijo: una fuente inagotable de felicidad

Una vida de amor y recuerdos inolvidables: apreciando la sonrisa de su bebé Amarte durante toda mi vida, extrañarte eternamente y atesorar por siempre el recuerdo de tu dulce sonrisa: estos son los sentimientos que definen mi corazón. Gracias, querida, …

Read more

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *