University of York-Led Research Finds Evidence of Complex Mortuary Traditions Among Prehistoric Maritime Communities

University of York-Led Research Finds Evidence of Complex Mortuary Traditions Among Prehistoric Maritime Communities

(IN BRIEF) University of York researchers have uncovered rare evidence of an Iron Age funerary tradition in Scotland involving the intentional removal of a human brain after death and the shaping of long bones into sharp tools. The discovery was made through the study of two well-preserved individuals, an adult female and a juvenile male, found buried together in a low stone cairn at Loch Borralie in Sutherland. Osteological analysis revealed incisions inside the adult female’s cranium, suggesting postmortem brain removal, while several long bones had been carefully tapered into points, indicating possible use as tools before burial. Isotope testing and ancient DNA mapping showed that the two individuals were closely related, probably maternal second cousins, and had grown up around 50 miles south-east of where they were buried. Genetic evidence also linked them to communities in Orkney and Applecross, suggesting that prehistoric maritime groups in northern Scotland were highly mobile and connected by water. Published in Antiquity and conducted as part of the COMMIOS project, the research adds new insight into Iron Age mortuary practices, mobility, kinship and the continuing significance of the dead to the living.

(PRESS RELEASE) YORK, 10-Jun-2026 — /EuropaWire/ — University of York researchers have identified rare evidence of an Iron Age funerary practice in Scotland involving the deliberate removal of a human brain after death and the shaping of long bones into pointed tools.

The findings come from the study of two unusually well-preserved individuals discovered at Loch Borralie in Sutherland, close to the north-western tip of mainland Scotland. The remains, belonging to an adult female and a juvenile male, were found buried together in a low stone cairn. Their preservation offered researchers an uncommon opportunity to examine mortuary practices from Iron Age Britain, a period in which human remains often do not survive well.

Iron Age Britain, dating broadly from around 800 BC to AD 43, remains difficult for archaeologists to interpret in terms of funerary traditions because skeletal evidence is typically limited. In north-west Scotland, however, environmental conditions can allow bone to survive, giving researchers a rare window into prehistoric treatment of the dead.

During osteological examination, the research team found signs of postmortem modification to the bones. The adult female’s cranium showed incisions on the inside surface, which the researchers interpreted as evidence that her brain had been intentionally removed after death. Dr Laura Castells Navarro, from the University of York’s Department of Archaeology, said the discovery was unexpected and exciting because it revealed a previously unknown funerary ritual.

Dr Castells Navarro said that while there is no direct comparison for this specific practice, Iron Age communities in Britain are known to have curated and carefully treated the dead. The researchers therefore interpret the bone modification as part of a wider tradition of care and continued attention to human remains after death.

The team also found that several long bones, including both humeri, an ulna and a femur, had been deliberately tapered into sharp points. This suggests the bones may have been used as tools before being carefully reassembled and deposited in the cairn.

To learn more about the identities and origins of the two individuals, researchers combined osteological analysis with isotope testing and ancient DNA mapping. The results, published in the journal Antiquity, showed that the adult female and juvenile male were closely related, most likely as maternal second cousins. Isotope evidence indicated that both individuals had grown up around 50 miles south-east of Loch Borralie, rather than at the site where they were eventually buried.

Dr Castells Navarro said the reasons behind the extensive manipulation of the skeletal remains are difficult to determine. However, the careful way in which the adult female was reassembled and placed in the cairn may indicate that she held a respected or revered position within her community.

The ancient DNA findings also revealed broader family connections across northern and western Scotland. Genetic links extended to the Orkney Islands, around 108 miles to the north-east, and to Applecross, approximately 140 miles to the south-west. Researchers argue that these connections show that family groups in prehistoric Britain were more mobile and interconnected than previously understood, with movement across coastal and island communities likely supported by maritime routes.

Dr Castells Navarro said the findings suggest that prehistoric maritime communities periodically moved around the north coast and Northern Isles of Scotland, possibly in small groups. This mobility may have helped communities maintain and spread cultural practices, including complex mortuary traditions.

The study adds new evidence to the understanding of social networks in prehistoric Britain, suggesting that relationships between the living and the dead may have continued across time, place and generations. Dr Castells Navarro said the Iron Age dead were likely not forgotten, but remained meaningful to the living through ongoing forms of interaction and remembrance.

The research forms part of the COMMIOS project, led by Professor Ian Armit and funded by an ERC Advanced Grant. The project combines ancient DNA, isotope analysis, osteoarchaeology and funerary archaeology to investigate diversity, mobility and social dynamics in Iron Age communities in Britain within a wider European context.

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SOURCE: University of York