Researchers in China have unearthed a striking collection of ancient crafted human bones dating back 5,000 years, shedding new light on burial practices during the Neolithic period. The remains, found alongside pottery and animal bones, include skull cups and mask-like facial bones—evidence of sophisticated, and possibly ritualistic, modification of human remains.
The bones are linked to the Liangzhu culture, known for establishing the earliest recorded city in East Asia. Radiocarbon dating places the modified bones between 3000 and 2500 B.C. Among the findings, human skulls were the most frequently worked.
Four skulls were cut horizontally to create bowl-like vessels, while another four were split vertically, forming objects resembling skeletal masks.
Although skull cups have been previously found in high-status Liangzhu tombs, researchers noted that this discovery is different. These altered bones were not part of formal burials but were instead recovered from canals and moats across five sites. This points to a different context—one that lacks the reverence typically associated with human remains.
Discarded remains point to changing cultural norms
Junmei Sawada, a biological anthropologist at Niigata University of Health and Welfare in Japan, explained that many of the modified bones appeared unfinished and were discarded.
She said the lack of ceremonial placement and the casual disposal suggest a shift in how the dead were regarded. Sawada also noted that the bones showed no signs of violence or dismemberment, indicating they were likely processed after natural decomposition.
Other unusual modifications include a skull with punctures in the back and a flattened lower jaw. These features have no known parallels in other archaeological records from the region, making the find particularly rare.
Elizabeth Berger, a bioarchaeologist at the University of California, Riverside, said the most revealing aspect of the discovery is how these human remains were treated—essentially as waste.
She agreed with Sawada’s interpretation that such treatment could reflect growing social distance in an urbanizing society, where individuals no longer shared close community or kinship ties.
Mysterious rise and fall of bone crafting practices
The study, published Aug. 26 in Scientific Reports, states that the practice of modifying human bones appeared suddenly, lasted for at least two centuries, and then disappeared without a clear explanation.
Berger questioned what led people to view human bodies as raw materials and why the practice was so brief in historical terms.
Sawada added that future studies could help determine how the bones were sourced and may further clarify the cultural and social dynamics behind these practices.
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