The unique grave was unearthed near the Polish city of Inowrocław, close to the village of Orłowo, and is dated to the 8th–7th millennium BCE, according to Ancientist. Preliminary findings suggest that the buried individuals were members of the same family: two adults and two children, approximately seven to eight and three to four years old.
The skeletons were positioned in what resembled a loving embrace, leading researchers to assume that they died at the same time, possibly from freezing. No traces of violence were found on the remains. Beneath the skull of one child, archaeologists discovered a flint blade typical of the Mesolithic period.
DNA and radiocarbon analyses will help confirm both the kinship and the age of the burial. Experts note that this discovery closely resembles other Mesolithic graves previously found in Scandinavia, France, and Russia.
The Mesolithic period in Europe spans from 10,000 to 5,000 years ago and is characterized by the use of miniature stone tools. It was also a time of unstable post-glacial climate, which could have caused the death of entire families.
