Animal Tombs: A 4,000-year-old Monkey
Throughout history, animal tombs have been present in various civilizations, which shows the respect and interest of ancient peoples for animals in general and even for pets throughout history. The most recent discovery of this type is not unsurprising, as it is a 4,000-year-old monkey buried in Iran.
animal tombs
For millennia, our species has felt the need to perform rites related to death, certainly to make the end of life easier for us.
Funeral rites, such as burials, are common in all human cultures, and there are many civilizations that even practice the burial of animals, such as the Egyptians. So it’s no surprise to find animal tombs like the one we’re addressing.
The discovery of these animal tombs took place in Shahr-e Sūkhté , known as the burnt city. This ancient site is from the Bronze Age, is located in present-day Iran and, although it has already presented many surprises to the world of archeology, few expected to find tombs of animals as curious as that of a rhesus monkey ( Macaca mulatta ).
More specifically, this city’s animal tombs contain goats or dogs. Therefore, the discovery of a young monkey who died at the age of five calls attention.
The most mysterious is that the tomb is very similar to those used for human children in that same city, as the animal was in a simple tomb beside a vase.
Interestingly, it was seen that the animal had dystrophic calcification in the femur, a disease that probably had to do with its life in captivity in precarious conditions.
Furthermore, these animals live in South Asia and therefore had to be exported in order to become the pet of some upper class person.
the rhesus monkeys
Rhesus monkeys are very curious animals. These monkeys, one specimen of which appeared in this ancient tomb, are Old World primates that live in several countries in South Asia, such as China and India.
In general, they weigh about five kilos and reach a height of about two feet. They have a coat that varies from gray to brown and can live for over 25 years in captivity.
They are animals that are closely related to our species. They are not only common in many cities in northern India : the Rh factor of our blood groups is named after these animals, as it was in this animal that this aspect was first identified.
A curious thing about this species is that most studies on its natural behavior have not been carried out in its habitat. Native to Asia, there is a population of rhesus monkeys on an island in Puerto Rico that are used for research. Who would have thought that animal tombs could contain such curious stories?
