Analysis of Brain Remains Dating Back Over 2,500 Years

A team of British archaeologists has announced further details about a brain that is over 2,500 years old. This brain was found inside a skull from the Iron Age, buried deep in clay. In 2008, a team of researchers discovered this skull near York, England. According to the York Archaeological Foundation, a team of 34 archaeologists is working on the remains of this brain. The brain dates back to the 6th century BC and is nearly 2,600 years old. Experts say this brain belonged to a man aged between 26 and 45 years. The human body decomposes rapidly after death, and soft tissues like the brain disintegrate quickly. Therefore, finding brain tissue among archaeological remains is extremely rare. According to the Higher Learning website, Rachel Cubitt, one of the archaeologists who discovered this brain, was working on extracting the skull when she noticed that part of the brain remained inside it. She stated, 'I was examining the cavities of the skull when I was surprised to see a spongy, yellowish substance inside it.' Rachel Cubitt mentioned, 'We think this head was buried in clay and was in a place where access to oxygen was not available.' Without oxygen, the bacteria that cause decomposition cannot survive. Thus, while the skin, hair, and flesh on the skull decomposed centuries ago, the lack of fresh oxygen in the environment allowed the brain tissue to survive for over two millennia without decomposing.