9,000-Year-Old Remains Show Evidence Of Oldest Known Decapitation In The Americas
Skull Ben Francis/Flickr CC by 2.0 What do Henry VIII, George R.R. Martin, the Red Queen, and people who lived in South America 9,000 years ago all have in common? Big fans of decapitation. For history buffs and literature lovers, those first three are no surprise, but the discovery of a decapitated head in a South American grave was a bit of a shock, mostly due to its extreme age. In a study published today in PLOS One, researchers announced the discovery of the oldest known decapitation in the Americas. Found in the lowlands of Brazil at a site called Lapa do Santo, the body belonged to someone who lived more than 9,000 years ago. While older decapitations have been unearthed in other areas of the world, this is the oldest found in the...