{
  "id": 5771208,
  "title": "Excavation in Poland reveals Stone Age man buried with decapitated heads and a tooth necklace",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/05/excavation-in-poland-reveals-stone-age-man-buried-with-decapitated",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-09-05T12:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Live Science",
    "slug": "live-science",
    "url": "https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/excavation-in-poland-reveals-stone-age-man-buried-with-decapitated-heads-and-a-tooth-necklace"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "In a Roman-period cemetery in Poland, archaeologists made a startling discovery: the grave of a man who lived around 2900 B.C., during the Middle Neolithic period. Buried with him were a battle ax, amber beads, a flint blade, and a particularly unusual necklace made from 42 mammal teeth. The discovery of the grave provided an important clue, as it revealed that the man was actually from the Stone Age, three millennia older than the Roman cemetery in which he was interred.\n\nPaweł Dąbrowski, a biological anthropologist at Wrocław Medical University, was working on the excavation when they stumbled upon the circular shape in the ground. Upon further investigation, they found the well-preserved skeleton of an adult male and the mysterious necklace. The precise arrangement of the teeth, all with holes drilled through their roots, led the researchers to conclude that they formed a necklace.\n\nThe teeth in the necklace belonged to large mammals, such as wolves, deer, bears, and possibly humans. While it is possible that the burial belonged to a warrior or hunter, the presence of the necklace suggests that the individual was likely of high importance, perhaps the leader of a family clan. Additionally, the grave contained the remains of two human skulls, which may have been decapitated heads that were buried as gifts or funeral offerings. However, further analysis is needed to confirm or rule out decapitation.\n\nSimilar elite burials with axes, flint tools, and amber beads have been previously discovered in the area, suggesting that these individuals may have belonged to the Corded Ware culture. This culture likely spread Indo-European languages around Europe and Asia. The researchers plan to analyze the remains from both Stone Age burials to determine if the people were related and to gain insight into their lives nearly 5,000 years ago. The first results of these analyses are expected to be available later this year.",
  "summary": "A Stone Age burial of a man with a toothy necklace and human skulls surprised archaeologists excavating in Poland.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}