Archaeologists discovered a partial human skeleton in a collapsed Shirahosaonetabaru cave on Ishigaki Island, Okinawa, Japan, believed to be 27000 years old.

According to the researchers the skeleton appears to have been intentionally placed in the cave, providing the first evidence of a funerary rite dating from the Palaeolithic period. Over the years of excavations at the site more than 1000 human fragments from at least 19 individuals have been unearthed there. Previously, the oldest human bones discovered in Japan were a set dating from around 22,000 years ago that were found in the southern part of Okinawa Island.

(after Okinawa Prefecture Archeological Center, The Mainichi, KYODO & The Japan Times)