Discovery of Bronze Age boiled brains in Kütahya shakes science

The discovery of 4,000-year-old preserved brains that were boiled in their own juice is resonating across the scientific world, The Hurriyet Daily News reports. 

The finding of the preserved brains, which date back to the Bronze Age, is unique and precious, and will not only shed light on the brain activities of the ancient people but also add to the knowledge of paleontology and forensics, according to Meriç Adil Altınöz, who was among the group of scientists to analyze the brains that were excavated from the Seyitömer excavation site, in Turkey’s western province of Kütahya.

“Although they are not the oldest preserved brains found, it is yet a unique and very precious finding,” Altınöz, an academic at Haliç University’s Molecular Biology and Genetics Department, told the Hürriyet Daily News, adding that only 11 conserved brains had been listed since 1857.

He said four preserved brains and seven skeletons had been found at Seyitömer, and a fault line had also been found nearby along with traces suggesting the wood lying together with the skeletons had been burning. Building on these premises, Altinöz said they assumed that an earthquake had taken place during a fire, burying the bodies deep in the soil and boiling brains in their own juices, thus creating the necessary conditions to preserve the brains.