Excavations at Wadi al-Mataha in Petra uncovered a 17,000-year-old burial with a remarkably well preserved skeleton. This is among the earliest known human remains in Jordan.

Analysis of the skeletal remains revealed that the individual buried was a male hunter between 35 to 55 years old, who had no signs of disease or trauma. His right arm was stronger than his left as a result of hunting with a spear. He was also short and strong from moving around the rugged terrain of southern Jordan. These characteristics are typical of people before they began to live more settled lives and start to farm.

After his death, an oval hole was cut into his skull just above the forehead, and his arms were pinned with his legs behind his back. His body was then placed face down in an unprepared depression, along with a few objects that may have been personal possessions. These included a stone bowl with a hole chipped into its base and a large flint knife. The burial was then filled with stones.

“Scholars are still unable to provide an explanation for the hole on his skull and the position of his dead body; and whether these are signs of respect or contempt.

Site: Wadi al-Mataha in Petra.

Period: Epi Palaeolithic, around 15000 BC.