Stone Age pregnant woman's remains found in Swedish cave

Archaeologists have discovered the remains of a pregnant Stone Age woman, estimated to be about 9,000 years old, along with her well-preserved fetus, in a cave on a small island off Sweden's Gotland coast. The find, described as "very unusual" by lead researcher Alexander Roesen Sjostrand, was made in the deepest layer of the cave, which dates to the Stone Age Source: Clarin.

The discovery

Sjostrand, an independent archaeologist affiliated with Uppsala University, has been excavating the site since 2023. He and a colleague reached the cave's deepest layer, where they found the remains of a young woman buried with a fetus still in her uterus Source: Diario Libre. The researchers estimate the remains are between 7,000 and 10,000 years old, with the most likely age being around 9,000 years, based on the location of the find Source: Clarin.

Significance

The discovery suggests that people were living on the island shortly after it emerged from the Baltic Sea following the last glaciation, rather than merely passing through as explorers. Sjostrand noted that this finding provides insight into how Stone Age hunter-gatherers explored and moved across the region Source: Diario Libre.

Next steps

The remains will undergo carbon dating to confirm their exact age Source: Clarin. This will help researchers better understand the timeline of human settlement in the area.