Archaeologist: Penang Woman survived on meat

GEORGE TOWN: The remains of 'Penang Woman' show that she was likely a meat eater who survived on seafood based on the samples of shellfish and cockles found at the Guar Kepah excavation site in Seberang Perai.
Professor Datuk Dr Mohd Mokhtar Saidin, an archaeologist appointed by the Penang government also said based on a Beta Analytic radiocarbon dating procedure conducted in a Florida laboratory in the United States, her remains were likely 5,710 years old.
He said during the neolithic period, which was about 5,000 years ago, the site was between 30m and 50m from the sea. Currently, the sea is about 8km away.
"Bodies were dug out from prehistoric sites, like Lenggong and elsewhere. Those were buried in caves.
"But this burial site is the only one in Malaysia with bodies buried in a shell midden (a place where the debris from eating shellfish and other food has accumulated over time. They can contain: shellfish remains, bones of fish, birds, and land and sea mammals used for food.)
"We are confident of finding more human remains as we dig further. We have so far dug up an area of 55m² and I am confident of finding more items as we go," he told a press conference today.
Also present was Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng who announced the allocation of RM50,000 in grants to Mokhtar and his team for excavation tools, payment for workers, field analysis, carbon dating and scientific analysis.
Mokhtar and his team of archaeologists were hired by the Penang government to conduct archaeological findings and to oversee the building of an RM830,000 prehistoric gallery on the site.
However, on April 17, the team stumbled upon bones at a shell midden under a vacated house while ground-breaking works were taking place.
Mokthar's team of archaeologists found a skull, a femur bone and a rib cage. They also found many pottery fragments from the era.
The state government has since ordered the construction of the gallery to be put on hold pending further digs at the site.