KUALA LUMPUR, 18 Dec 2018:
The skeleton of a stone age teenage girl – who lived between 6,000 to 8,000 years ago – has been unearthed at the excavation site in Gua Chawan, Nenggiri Valley, Kelantan on Nov 2.
The skeleton from the Mesolithic period or middle stone age, was found by researchers from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), archaeologists from National Heritage Department (JWN) and researchers from the History Department, Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris during the archaeological excavation at the cave.
Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Datuk Mohamaddin Ketapi said the findings are very important for archaeology in providing new facts about prehistoric practices in Malaysia.
“This skeleton is believed to be that of a teenage girl based on the pelvis bone found on the skeleton and she was buried with her foot and head both placed over limestone.
“Her right hand was holding a snail and a cutter. There was grindstone-pounder placed at her feet as a tool to accompany the remains in death,” he said at a press conference yesterday.
Mohamaddin said the prehistoric human skeleton had been removed from Gua Chawan on Nov 10 and now placed in JWN conservation laboratory for 60 days for recording and conservation purposes.
He said dental samples and as well as that from the snail shells would be sent to the Beta Labs in the US to obtain its chronometric date.
He added that the discovery was very meaningful as it would lead to the unravelling of the culture practised by primitive society and the presence of prehistoric humans around the Nenggiri Valley in Ulu Kelantan.
“JWN in collaboration with the Kelantan government will also collect all artefacts to be used as references for the country’s history and heritage and they will be on display for the public viewing once the conservation process completed.”
– Bernama