A fossil of a mother cradling a baby from 4,800 years ago was discovered by archaeologists in Taiwan, and at the moment of her death she could have been smiling with affection or grimacing in anguish.
"When it was unearthed, all of the archaeologists and staff members were shocked. Why? Because the mother was looking down at the baby in her hands," said Chu Whei-lee, a curator in the Anthropology Department at Taiwan's National Museum of Natural Science, according to
Reuters.
The fossil was among 48 sets of remains, including five children, that are the earliest evidence of human life in Taiwain.
Excavation of the site began in May 2014 with carbon dating used to determine the age of the fossils.
The fossils were found at the Ann He Road Ruin in Taichung city and date to the Neolithic Age,
NBC News reported.
The Stone Age mother was measured to be 5-foot-2, and the baby measured just over a foot and a half,
The Daily Mail reported.
The Mail noted a similar discovery last year in China, where scientists unearthed the skeletal remains of a mother thought to be protecting her child from an earthquake in about 2,000 BC.
Fox News compared the discovery to other surprising archaeological finds such as a mass grave near Athens thought to be followers of Cyclon in 632 B.C.
Twitter users shared surprise and cynicism.
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