Archaeologists Unearth Unique Burial of Women Adorned with 270,000 Seashell Beads in Spain

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A remarkable archaeological discovery has been made at the Tholos of Montelirio near Seville, Spain, where the remains of at least 20 women, dated to approximately 4,800 years ago, were found adorned with over 270,000 perforated beads made predominantly from seashells. The study, published in Science Advances, indicates that these items were crafted from approximately 800 kilograms of mollusks, marking the largest known collection of seashell beads in a burial site (Cristante, 2025).

Archaeologist Leonardo García Sanjuán from the University of Seville noted the uniqueness of the burial, which lacked male remains and included a woman positioned with her hands raised, possibly in prayer, at the alignment of a summer solstice light shaft. High levels of mercury were found in the bones of the buried women, with some exhibiting concentrations as high as 500 micrograms per gram (Montero, 2023). This discovery raises questions about the use of mercury and the cultural significance of these women, with suggestions that they might have been involved in ceremonial practices or possibly human sacrifices.

The continued study at the Montelirio site aims to shed light on these ancient practices and the role these women may have held in their society.

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