A diver finds human remains and came across a 7,200-year-old cemetery under the sea
It is located about 6.4 meters deep
In the summer of 2016, an amateur diver who was searching for prehistoric fossils off the coast of Florida , in the United States, ended up making a completely unique archaeological discovery.
And while diving, he came across the possible presence of human remains, and subsequent investigations confirmed that what he found was an ancient Indigenous cemetery beneath the waters of the Gulf of Mexico, more than 7,200 years old.
This is the indigenous cemetery more than 7,200 years old that the diver found under the sea
The site is known as Manasota Key Offshore and contains human remains and wooden stake s which, according to researchers, were linked to ancient funerary practices dating back more than 7,200 years, that is, to the Archaic period. Once this diver raised the alarm, archaeologists got to work investigating the area.
They did it with sonar and magnetometry to find possible remains without disturbing the ground. Thanks to this, they found several human remains. They found at least 11 people: seven adults, two babies, and remains of two individuals in the fetal stage. In addition, 49 funerary objects were found, such as fiber cordage, wooden stakes, and modified shells.
A key element in preserving the remains was the peat that covered the bottom of the pond , since this plant-based material slows decomposition and allowed numerous objects and organic remains to endure for millions of years.
The cemetery is about 6.4 meters deep, but it was not always submerged . Experts believe it was in a freshwater pond on dry land. 7,200 years ago, sea level was approximately nine meters lower than it is today, but the gradual rise in the water level eventually flooded the area.
In this way, this site provides information about what the indigenous communities that inhabited Florida were like in the past and what the landscape was like before it was covered by seawater.
