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British Archeologists Discover Ancient Human Brain

DW staff (kjb)December 13, 2008

Archeologists have uncovered a human brain in northern England that dates back to the Iron Age. It is thought to be one of the oldest surviving pieces of human brain tissue worldwide.

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This image issued by the York Archaeological Trust on Friday Dec. 12, 2008 shows brain material as dark folded matter at the top of the head in this computer-generated view into the skull.
A tomography scanner was used to produce this image of the skull's contentsImage: AP

Officials at York University confirmed on Friday, Dec. 12, that the archeologists had unearthed an over 2,000-year-old human skull with an unusually preserved brain still inside.

It was found on the York University campus, where archeological digging had begun as part of a planned expansion of facilities.

The area was prehistoric farm land, dating back to at least 300 BC.

Researcher Rachel Cubitt reportedly spotted the brain tissue while cleaning the skull.

"It jogged my memory of a university lecture on the rare survival of ancient brain tissue," she said, as reported by AFP news agency. "We gave the skull special conservation treatment as a result and sought expert medical opinion."

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