By Gemma Tarlach
(published in Discover Magazine)
New evidence shows humans have been pushing up
daisies — or at least sage — for more than 10,000 years.
Researchers
analyzing plant impressions and soil in and around Mesolithic graves in Israel
have found evidence that the dead were habitually buried on thick layers of
intentionally arranged plants, many of which, at time of burial, were flowering
and would have had a strong aroma. According to a study
published today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences,
four sites at Raqefet Cave, Mt. Carmel, are the oldest known examples of
flower-lined graves.
Using
radiocarbon-dating, the study’s team determined the four grave sites were
13,700 to 11,700 years old. Researchers analyzed bedrock and sediment around
the grave sites and cave, as well as soil outside the cave, piecing together
how the individuals were buried and whether the plant impressions could have
resulted from natural growth.
A Flower Carpet
The
study found that conditions in the cave were perfect for preserving plant
impressions and other evidence of intentional placement of flowers in the
graves. The bedrock of the graves — which, in at least one case, had been
chiseled to create a more uniform surface — had been prepared with a thin layer
of mud. The mud apparently was still damp when individuals arranged flowering
plants on it as a kind of carpet in the graves before placing the bodies. The
mud then hardened, retaining the shape of the plants long after they had
decomposed.
Using
the impressions in the mud layer, researchers were able to identify sage, mint
and figwort among the plants used. The study noted that all three plants flower
in spring, are colorful and have strong aromas. The plants also had medicinal
uses in many ancient cultures and in alternative medicine today.
Grave Rituals
The
plant impressions were found only in the grave sites and not in other areas of
the cave, which strengthens the theory that the plants were
intentionally placed as part of the funerary ritual. Interestingly, although
the graves were filled with flints, stones and butchered animal bones, there
were no impressions of these materials preserved, suggesting that the plants
were placed first, in a thick layer large enough to cover the entire bottom of
the grave.
In addition
to the plant impressions in the mud, researchers found an abundance of
phytoliths, preserved mineral secretions from plants, at the Raqefet graves.
The average density of phytoliths within sediment samples from grave sites was
61,199 per gram. For comparison, when the team sampled soil from an off-site
control area, they found an average of 27,231 phytoliths per gram of sediment.
The
combination of plant impressions and phytoliths led researchers to conclude
there was habitual use of plants, particularly flowering and aromatic
varieties, in the rituals associated with interment of the dead at Raqefet.
The
graves studied belonged to the Natufian culture, pre-agricultural people who
lived in the area of the Eastern Mediterranean region known as the Levant from
15,000 to 11,500 years ago. The four flower-lined graves are part of a larger
collection containing 29 skeletons of all ages; most were buried as single
interments, though some were buried in pairs.
Researchers
at the Raqefet Cave site acknowledged that other studies have suggested flowers
were present at Shanidar IV, a 60,000 year-old Neanderthal grave site in Iraq.
Evidence of plants at the older site was based on a concentration of
microscopic pollen near the skeleton, however, and the Raqefet team contends
that the pollen more likely was collected and stored by a burrowing rodent,
remains of which were found in the same excavated layer as the pollen.
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