An ancient tragedy is shining new light on life in the Neolithic Era, as archaeologists have uncovered the remains of a woman who appears to have died with her twins during childbirth nearly 8,000 years ago.
It’s the oldest example of death by dystocia, or obstructed labor, and the earliest known example of twins on the archaeological record, researchers wrote in an article describing the discovery, published in the Feb. issue of the journal Antiquity.
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“One can guess this wolf played a very important role in the life of ancient society, because it is very unusual for this animal to be buried in a specially created grave,” researchers wrote in 2003. And while there are other examples of dogs being buried in graves during the period, the grave of a wolf is unique.
“This is understandable with dogs being man’s helper in everyday life,” the researchers wrote. “But there is no previous evidence for an individually buried wolf.”
