Woman’s skull could be 4,000 years older than first thought
THE skull of a Stone Age woman found in a Midland gravel pit may be even older than the 10,000 years originally believed by scientists.
A mammoth tooth discovered close to where the skull – dubbed “Greta” – was uncovered suggests it may be at least 14,000 years old, the oldest in Britain.
Greta was actually unearthed in 1943 at Branston, Staffordshire, but went missing more than 40 years ago following the closure of Burton upon Trent Museum where she was displayed.
But she was recently rediscovered by enthusiast David Adkins locked away at Stoke’s Potteries Museum. Greta is now being examined at the Francis Crick Institute, a London biomedical research centre – and will feature in a forthcoming Channel 4 documentary. Mr Adkins, a community centre manager from Burton, said: “I went back to the paper records and found buried in the archive an account of a mammoth tooth that came from the same location after Greta was found.
“The mammoth became extinct in Britain over 14,000 years ago.
“If the tooth was one of the grave goods in Greta’s grave, she could be over 14,000 years old, pushing her back in time to the Palaeolithic or Early Stone Age.
“This would be incredible, I don’t know of any other complete skulls of men or women from this period.”
One of two small bones found with the skull has been deemed nonhuman. But that was not a surprise.
Mr Adkins explained: “Animal
bones are common finds in Mesolithic graves. We don’t know which animal yet – I think red deer, although it could be auroch or mammoth. We will soon know for sure. Red deer antler headdresses have been found in Mesolithic graves in Europe and it’s tantalising to think that the only thing Greta might recognise in the modern world is the Abbots Bromley Horn Dance.”
The annual horn dance at the Staffordshire village wearing antlers.
Greta will soon be moved from the Crick Institute to Durham University, where tests will be carried out to find out exactly where she lived.
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Mr Adkins added: “I have always believed she is the greatest anthropological find in Britain of the 20th century.
“I have also called her the jewel in the crown of British anthropology and, in a bizarre twist of fate, found that she had been hidden away in an Asprey [the royal jewellers] box for over 40 years.
“She has caused a media whirlwind and has become famous here in Burton.
“People are talking about her in the corridors of power and in the backstreet shops, which is wonderful. She belongs to everyone and is part of all our histories.
“I think mankind’s quest for the Holy Grail is, in reality, the search for who we are, where we came from and how we came to be as we are. Greta will soon reveal her secrets.”