Archaeologists In Bulgaria Have Uncovered The Skeleton Of A Boy Who Survived A Lion Attack 6,200 Years Ago
Veselin DanovThe teenage boy was found in an especially deep grave near the coast of the Black Sea.More than 6,000 years ago, a Copper Age teenager was violently attacked by a lion. He was knocked to the ground and mauled, suffering wounds to his head, legs, shoulder, and arm. But the boy survived. And his skeleton, found buried deep in the earth by archaeologists at a necropolis near the Black Sea in Bulgaria, suggests that his community cared for him until he died several months later. The surprising discovery offers new insight into how prehistoric communities cared for people who were injured or disabled. But archaeologists have some questions about how the lion attack victim was finally laid to rest. The Copper Age Boy Who Survived A Lion AttackAccording to a study published in the Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, the remains of the lion attack victim seemingly a young man between the ages of 16 and 18 were found buried at a necropolis near a prehistoric settlement known as Kozareva Mogila (or Goat Mound). The necropolis is from the fifth millennium B.C.E., or the Copper Age. The boys burial stood out because of the intense injuries that archaeologists documented on his skeleton. His skull had been punctured and crushed, and he had damage to his legs, shoulder, and arm. Karastoyanova et al. (2025), Journal of Archaeological Science: ReportsThe lion attack victim had serious injuries to his skull, including one that would have exposed his brain.[T]he youngster was injured extremely badly, the researchers wrote in their study. The head should have been severely injured, involving the scalp and skull bones. At the place of the penetrating wound [in the skull], the underlying structures of the meninges are also disturbed, with the integrity of the brain remaining questionable. Most likely, both legs and the left arm were also affected with deep wounds.The researchers determined that the boy had not been injured by a weapon or even during a surgery like trepanation. Rather, hed been attacked by a massive carnivore, which researchers determined was likely a prehistoric lion. Experts speculated that he could have been a casualty of an incidental encounter with the animal, or that perhaps hed been injured while trying to hunt the lion. But what made the burial especially remarkable was what came after the lion attack. Though seemingly debilitated by his injuries, the boy survived for months, as evidenced by skeletal healing. This suggests that his community came together to care for him until his death. Such an action tells a story about how prehistoric communities in the Copper Age may have functioned. That said, archaeologists have some questions about how the community came to view the boy based on how he was ultimately buried. Questions About The Care And Burial Of The Lion Attack Victim N. Karastoyanova et al., Journal of Archaeological Science, Reports (2026)The lion attack victim was laid on his side and buried deep in the ground.Aside from his injuries, a couple of other things about the lion attack victims burial stood out to archaeologists. For starters, the boy had been laid to rest in a crouching position without any grave goods buried alongside him. His grave was also much deeper than others found nearby.While its impossible to know the reasons for this, archaeologists have some ideas. One possibility is that the boy had a low social status and thus was not afforded an elaborate burial. The other is that the boys community may have regarded him with a degree of fear after his attack, which could have left him with scars or behavioral changes caused by his brain injuries. [H]is individual life experience, possible intimidating behaviour and appearance could have made him an extraordinary and dangerous dead, demanding deeper deposition, the studys authors explained. In later sources from the Bulgarian traditional culture, people with strange appearances or scars were regarded as harmful and prevented from many social activities In some cases, the disabled remained different, special, excluded and extraordinary. In this case, lying the body of the individual in a deeper pit was probably for protection from the dangerous deceased.The boys community may have come to fear him, but it seems that they also came together to keep him alive after a devastating lion attack. After reading about the Copper Age lion attack victim who was cared for by his community until he died, discover the stories of some of the most incredible prehistoric animals that once roamed the planet. Or learn about tzi the Iceman, historys oldest preserved human.The post Archaeologists In Bulgaria Have Uncovered The Skeleton Of A Boy Who Survived A Lion Attack 6,200 Years Ago appeared first on All That's Interesting.
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