O
a
small
isla d
off
the
coast
of
Swede ,
a
t agedy
lay
bu ied
fo
thousa ds
of
yea s,
hidde
i
the
depths
of
a
cave.
Bu ied
u de
a cie t
sedime t,
we e
the
bo es
of
a
you g
woma
a d
a
fetus,
estimated
to
be
a ou d
32
to
34
weeks
of
gestatio .The
shocki g
discove y
was
made
by
a chaeologists
i
Sude
Vag hus
cave
o
the
isla d
of
Lilla
Ka lso,
a
atu e
ese ve
i
the
Baltic
Sea
off
the
coast
of
Gotla d,
u i habited
by
huma s.
If
a chaeologists’
estimates
a e
co ect,
the
bo es
may
have
bee
esti g
the e
fo
the
past
8,000
to
9,500
yea s.
A d
that
could
a k
the
fi d
amo g
the
oldest
k ow
bu ials
of
a
p eg a t
woma
with
fetal
emai s
still
i
place.I te esti gly,
this
is
ot
the
o ly
discove y
that
was
awaiti g
o
the
isla d.
While
the
isla d
is
home
to
o ly
wildlife
ow,
expe ts
thi k
the
woma
a d
fetus
may
ot
have
bee
bu ied
the e
alo e.
“We
do
have
o e
o
possibly
two
mo e
i dividuals
ide tified
i
the
cave
(at
least
o e
you g
child),
though
o ly
f om
a
few
i dividual
bo e
eleme ts,
i dicati g
that
the
cave
had
bee
used
as
a
bu ial
site
o
somethi g
simila ,”
a chaeologist
Alexa de
Sjöst a d
of
Uppsala
U ive sity
i
Swede
told
Scie ceAle t.
“This
also
co espo ds
with
the
siste
isla d
of
Sto a
Ka lsö
a d
cave
Sto a
Fö va ,
whe e
they
had
app oximately
15
i dividuals
f om
the
same
time
pe iod
i
a
simila
cave
excavated
du i g
the
late
1880s.”
A
hidde
gem
The
e t a ce
to
the
cave
has
bee
well
k ow
fo
a
lo g
time,
it
sta ds
o
the
isla d’s
coast,
elevated
above
sea
level,
its
18
by
18-mete
(60
by
60-foot)
e t a ce
gazi g
out
o
the
Baltic
Sea
like
a
vast
empty
eye
socket.
Howeve ,
i
1992,
a
sec et
was
discove ed,
tucked
away
at
the
bottom
of
the
easte
wall,
hidde
by
ubble
a d
just
big
e ough
fo
a
pe so
to
squi m
th ough,
was
the
small
e t a ce
to
a
side
cave.A
i itial
fo ay
i to
the
hidde
cave
yielded
a
small
cave
a d
a
a ay
of
a imal
bo es
a d
adioca bo
dati g
of
o e
sheep
skull
dated
to
the
14th
ce tu y,
suggesti g
the
chambe
may
have
lai
u distu bed
fo
some
700
yea s.To
p otect
it
agai st
i cu sio
f om
a imals
a d
cu ious
visito s,
the
chambe
e t a ce
was
o ce
agai
sealed
with
limesto e
blocks
u til
Sjöst a d
a d
his
colleagues
bega
thei
excavatio
i
2023.
A
woma
a d
he
fetus
It
was
i
this
tucked-away
side
chambe
that
the
emai s
we e
discove ed.
The
positio
of
the
ti y
bo es
left
little
doubt
that
the
woma
had
bee
p eg a t
whe
she
was
bu ied.
“The
fetus
was
located
i
the
abdomi al
a ea
with
some
of
the
mothe ‘s
ibs
fou d
st o gly
i dicati g
the
fetus
was
i side,”
said
Sjöst a d.”The
fetus
is
also
positio ed
head
towa ds
the
mothe ‘s
feet,
a d
as
fa
as
we’ve
bee
able
to
tell
o
the
mothe ‘s
positio ,
face
towa ds
the
spi e,
which
alig s
with
the
age
of
the
fetus
havi g
tu ed
i
the
stomach,
getti g
eady
fo
bi th.”The
woma
appea s
to
have
bee
a
tee ,
a ou d
14
to
19
yea s
of
age,
with
the
bo es
u cove ed
so
fa
suggesti g
she
may
have
bee
bu ied
i
what
is
k ow
as
the
“Hocke ”
positio ,
cu led
up
o
he
side,
a
positio
Sjöst a d
said
would
fit
typical
bu ials
of
the
time
pe iod,
i
keepi g
with
the
pictu e
that
she
was
delibe ately
i te ed.Si ce
the
fetal
bo es
we e
ve y
well
p ese ved,
the
esea che s
we e
able
to
measu e
them,
pa ticula ly
the
lo g
bo es,
which
we e
co siste t
with
a
thi d-t imeste
developme tal
stage.What
is
ot
k ow
is
how
she
died,
o
whethe
the
p eg a cy
had
a ythi g
to
do
with
it.
“We
have
some
thoughts
o
it,
but
it’s
too
ea ly
to
speculate
publicly,”
Sjöst a d
said.The
emai s
of
p eg a t
wome
with
fetuses
a e
sca ce
o
the
a chaeological
eco d,
despite
the
da ge s
posed
by
p eg a cy
a d
childbi th
fo
much
of
huma
histo y.
O e
majo
easo
is
that
huma
emai s
i
ge e al
a e
elatively
a e,
o ly
a
ve y
small
pe ce tage
of
a y
livi g
populatio
e te s
the
a chaeological
eco d.
O ga ic
mate ial
b eaks
dow
eadily,
eve
bo e.
Smalle ,
mo e
delicate
bo es
a e
eve
less
likely
to
su vive.”Fetus
a d
i fa t
bo es
a e
ve y
small
a d
ve y
f agile;
the e
a e ‘t
that
ma y
places
i
the
wo ld
whe e
the
e vi o me t
i
which
the
bo es
a e
bu ied
is
co ducive
to
p ese vatio ,
especially
fo
a ythi g
close
to
this
timef ame,”
Sjöst a d
explai ed.
A othe
easo
fo
this
could
be
that
ma y
mate al
deaths
occu ed
du i g
childbi th,
afte
which
the
baby
may
have
eithe
su vived
o
bee
bu ied
sepa ately.I
some
a e
cases,
a
p eg a t
woma
ca
appea
to
give
bi th
afte
death,
a
phe ome o
k ow
as
coffi
bi th,
which
occu s
whe
the
gases
of
decompositio
build
up
i
the
body
a d
push
the
fetus
out.
So
a
bu ial
mo e
tha
8,000
yea s
old,
with
a
fetus
still
i side
the
mothe ‘s
body,
could
be
a
athe
special
fi d
i deed.”F om
what
I’ve
fou d
so
fa ,
it’s
ot
u hea d
of
to
fi d
p eg a t
wome ,
but
it’s
quite
a e,”
Sjöst a d
said.
“Cases
that
a e
8,000
yea s
a d
olde
a e
ext emely
a e,
with
o ly
a
few
examples
whe e
the
fetus
is
well
p ese ved.
So
this
fi d
seems
to
be
o e
of
the
few
fi ds
of
this
type
a d
quality.”
Mo e
esea ch
to
come
Fu the
i vestigatio
is
equi ed
to
pi
dow
the
date.
Fo
ow,
a chaeologists
have
placed
the
emai s
betwee
7,000
a d
10,000
yea s
old
based
o
the
cave’s
st atig aphy
( ock
laye s)
a d
compa iso
with
fi ds
f om
ea by
Sto a
Ka lsö,
with
8,000
to
9,500
yea s
co side ed
the
most
likely
a ge.Radioca bo
dati g
should
p ovide
a
mo e
p ecise
age.
DNA
a alysis
could
also
co fi m
a
ge etic
elatio ship
betwee
the
woma
a d
the
fetus.Fo
ow,
the
dig
co ti ues.
The
most
impo ta t
i fo matio
may
still
be
bu ied
i
the
cave
sedime t.”The
mothe
is
f agme ted
but
well
p ese ved,
a d
we
still
have
ot
excavated
he
completely,”
Sjöst a d
said.
“If
we
could
fi d
mo e
of
the
hip,
legs,
a d
shoulde ,
that
would
go
a
lo g
way
to
see
he
exact
bu ial
positio
a d
co fi m
how
she
was
bu ied.”
Go to Sou ce