Oldest Skeleton In The Caribbean Found Right In My Own Country Of Trinidad & Tobago.

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Can you believe it? I was doing some research recently and came across some shocking information. Imagine living all your life in a country you think you know and then you realise that you don’t really know. According to Wikipedia, In Nov 1969 the oldest skeleton discovery in the Caribbean was found in Trinidad and Tobago Banwari Trace Archaeological Site. The remains of a human skeleton was aptly called ‘Banwari Man”. The skeleton was lying on it’s side, as in a typical American crouch burial position 20 cm below the surface. Two items were found: a round pebble by the head and a needlepoint by the hip. It was interned in a midden heap and covered with shell refuse. The burial can be dated to the period shortly before the end of occupation, approximately 3,400 BC or 5,400 years old. This skeleton is considered to be the oldest one found in the Caribbean. This demonstrates the presence of the Caribbean's first farmers and inhabitants. From another source posted by ‘Discover Trinidad & Tobago’ I found this information. Banwari Trace, an Archaic (pre-ceramic) site in south-western Trinidad, is the oldest archaeological site in the Caribbean. The site has revealed two separate periods of occupation; one between 7200 and 6100 BP (Strata I and II) and the other between 6100 BP and 5500 BP. This was the oldest evidence of human activity on Caribbean soil to be found in Trinidad: the archaeological site at Banwari Trace has yielded artefacts dating back to 5,000 BC. These were once the belongings of the Ortoiroid people, named after the Ortoire River. The remains of the human skeleton is preserved at the University of the West Indies (St. Augustine). Banwari Trace was included in the 2004 World Monuments Watch by the World Monuments Fund. Access requires permission from the National Trust. I have not yet visited this site but I am planning to do so in the near future. I don’t know yet what I will fine but it is an adventure I am looking forward to. Credited: From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia & Discover Trinidad & Tobago Picture taken from the net, public domain.