8,500 Year Old Murder Mystery Uncovered

Discovery News has announced the discovery of the remains of two people at the bottom of an Stone Age well. The question: did they accidentally fall in, or is this a case of murder?

Belonging to a woman aged about 19 and an older man between 30 and 40, the skeletal remains were found in a 26-foot-deep well in the Jezreel Valley in Israel's Galilee region.

With the upper part built of stones and the lower hewn in the bedrock, the impressive well was connected to a Neolithic farming settlement.
"It seems the inhabitants used it for their subsistence and living," Yotam Tepper, excavation director at the Israel Antiquities Authority, said in a statement.

Tepper and colleagues cannot yet explain whether the two individuals accidentally fell into the well or were murdered and then dumped inside.
"As of now the answer to this question remains a mystery," they said.

Studies on the bones and the objects found near the human remains may provide an answer.

"What is clear is that after these unknown individuals fell into the well, it was no longer used for the simple reason that the well water was contaminated and was no longer potable," Tepper said.

Indeed, the artifacts recovered from inside the well suggest the structure ended up being used as a dump after it became polluted.

Along with the skeletal remains, the archaeologists found deeply dented flint sickle blades used for harvesting, as well as arrow heads, stone implements, animal bones and charcoal.

So...I'm personally leaning towards murder. A 19 yr old woman and a 30-40 yr old man? Mayhap there was a lovers triangle of sorts? Or perhaps a robbery?

I don't know if we will ever solve the mystery, but just thinking about the possibilities is interesting.

It just goes to show that human nature calls for men to be attracted to younger women in order to 'spread our seed' if you will. People today look down upon such a wide gap in ages, but it truly is our humanity.

As for the well, well, it could be just about anything. I'm thinking a sacrifice of some kind. I have heard of bodies being dumped into rivers, lakes etc after sacrifices so maybe this well was already trashed and used to dispose of the remains.

Very interesting story. Who's to say the two victims went in at the same time. Maybe one fell (or was pushed, dumped, whatever) first, and then at a later time the second person joined. Who knows, but it would be neat if they were able to determine how the people died, which might give us clues. I love a great mystery, especially an old one, so thanks for sharing!

www.abovetopsecret.com...

thread already on the subject, directing you to it as there are several replies there too.

I'll go with murder, even if we'll never know for sure. Wells were the best places to hide a dark deed, especially in desert. A jealous husband, or an angry father?
Or maybe a double suicide, the first Romeo and Juliette.
Is fun to speculate about it. Poor guys, waiting for 8,500 years under a pile of dirt for justice to be done...

Originally posted by NaptownBrown
It just goes to show that human nature calls for men to be attracted to younger women in order to 'spread our seed' if you will. People today look down upon such a wide gap in ages, but it truly is our humanity.

Women can easily conceive in their 30s and early 40s. This theory is kind of invalid.

I am saying that their village was raided, and they either hid in the well and died from exposure, or they were tossed in by the raiders.

Originally posted by Xaphan

Originally posted by NaptownBrown
It just goes to show that human nature calls for men to be attracted to younger women in order to 'spread our seed' if you will. People today look down upon such a wide gap in ages, but it truly is our humanity.

Women can easily conceive in their 30s and early 40s. This theory is kind of invalid.

8500 years ago?? 6500 BC? Come on man. Women were lucky to live into their 40's let alone go through the rigors of child birth. It is fairly well established that the majority of women giving birth at this time were in their teens or early 20's, as they had the greatest chance of becoming pregnant and surviving the ordeal. That's why women mature earlier than men.