“land of the civilized kings” : “Lady of Cavigflione” is a woman who lived around 24000 years ago

The Sumerian civilization existed from 4100 B.C.E. until around 1750 B.C.E. The name “Sumer” meant “land of the civilized kings.” The Sumerians were one of the first groups to divide time into hours and minutes. They also had a complex religion that involved gods called the Anunnaki.

The Anunnaki were believed to be in charge of Sumerians’ fates. Many myths involved members of the Anunnaki passing judgment on humans. Additionally, the gods were described as children of the Earth and sky. Most people chalk these stories up to mythology, the same way they do the Greek gods. However, others wonder whether there’s more to the story

“Lady of Cavigflione” is a woman who lived around 24000 years ago. She was found on March 26, 1872 during the excavations led by Emile Riviere in the Caviglione cave, part of the Balzi Rossi archaeological site, on the Italian-French border of Ventimiglia.

Excavations unearthed a burial of what until recently was called “the Man of Menton”. It was only following the DNA examination that the skeleton was revealed to belong to a woman of very tall stature and who must have borne her children. She was 170-172cm tall and was about 37 years old. The culture she belonged is of the ‘Epigravettian’ type, appearing and developing during a period characterized by the cold and dry climate typical of the final phase of the Würm glaciation, or the maximum expansion of the ice.

A detail from her burial that immediately catches the eye is an ornamental headband enriched with 300 shells of the Cyclope neritrea, a typical marine gastropod mollusk of sandy beaches. The peculiarity of these mollusks is that they were drilled to be tied together, and on the edges there was a fringe made up of red deer teeth (‘pearl teeth’ of Cervus elaphus).

The body was covered with red ocher, buried on her left side, facing west, with the hands close to her face and legs folded. The lady might have been a person with special status in her society (already 24, 000 years ago), perhaps a shaman who was buried ceremonially.