A sample of the skeleton discovered from Baanga village near Harirajpur in Puri district, 15 km from here, has been sent to the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology in Hyderabad for DNA test to know gather more information about the skeleton, said paleopathologist and former head of the Department of Anthropology, University of Pune, Prof S R Walimbe, while addressing media persons at Utkal University here on Sunday.
The skeleton of an adult male, which was excavated in February last, belongs to the Chalcolithic age dating approximately 2000 to 1500 BC (3,500 years old), revealed the expert team, which included Prof Kishore K Basa of the Anthropology department of Utkal University, Dr Veena Mushrif Tripathy from the Anthropology department of the Deccan College of Pune and Prof Walimbe.
Experts said the age of the male (skeleton) is between 35 and 40 years, while its height is 5.7 ft, which was a healthy person while alive. His hand got fractured when he was 25 years’ old but was later refixed in a natural way, the team added.
They didn’t find the feet as it was already cut during the time of death of the person, the team felt and added that the person died at the age of 40 years which was normal then. The team would do X-ray of the skeleton to know the ancient treatment of bone fracture. It would make a carbon dating test to know the exact age of the skeleton, informed the team.
“The research so far is at a preliminary stage. After proper anthropological investigation on the skeleton, we would give the details,” asserted Prof Basa. He continued, “We are sending the samples for carbon dating and the precise data would come after getting the result of the test.” Presently, the expert team is conducting anthropological investigation on the adult male human skeleton, said sources.