Brain-removal ritual linked to Iron Age Scottish burial, study finds

An Iron Age Scottish woman likely had her brain deliberately removed after death as part of a burial rite, based on skull cut marks and a base fracture. Four long bones were polished and repositioned in the grave, suggesting reverence for the deceased. DNA and radiocarbon dating place her and a nearby young male as relatives who died between 50 BCE and 70 CE, highlighting complex funerary practices in Iron Age Britain.