In 1929, the 6000-year-old human skull was found in a site at Papua New Guinea. New research analysis has now revealed that the ancient skull likely belongs to the oldest tsunami victim in the world, and the catasthrophic event killed that person.
Professor James Goff, the first author of the study and a UNSW Sydney scientist, says that the site where the Aitape Skull was found was once covered with flood caused by a tsunami 6000 years ago. That event is similar to the tsumani hit nearby in 1998, in which 2000 people died.
The study, which was published in the journal PLOS ONE, has led researchers to conclude that the Aitape Skull was the world’s oldest known tsunami victim.
The History Of Aitape Skull …show more content…
The partially preserved skull was found at a site on northern coast of Papua New Guinea, near the Aitape town.
The Aitape Skull becomes the great archaeological interest since there have only been few fossil remains diacovered around the area. In 2014, the research team went to the area to gather similar samples from geological deposits collected by Hossfeld. These samples were analyzed in the laboratory.
The bones had been properly examined, but the sediments where they were found had only been given a little bit of attention.
The geological similarities of the sediment where the Aitape Skull found and the sediment in 1998 tsunami has led the team to conclude that the population in the area has been hit by inundations over past thousand of years.
Oldest Tsunami Victim In The World
Researchers analyzed the geochemical composition and grain size of the sediment to futher understand the tsunami inundation. Additionally, the team found microscopic organisms in the sediment, similar to the soil organisms right after the tsumami in