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World's oldest known gay caveman found in Czech Republic
by Jaspreet Virk - April 9, 2011 - comments
The 5000-year-old caveman is believed to belong to the Corded Ware culture, which existed between 2500 and 2900 BC. (Photo courtesy: Europics)
Homosexuality might still not be legal in many nations, but the sexual orientation seems to date back to the Stone Age.
In what can be seen as the oldest known case of gender bender, archaeologists in the Czech Republic have found remains of 5000-year-old caveman who might have been a gay.
The male body, which is believed to date back to between 2900 and 2500 BC, was found buried in Prague suburb in a peculiar manner, indicating that the caveman could have been homosexual or transgender.
“We believe this is one of the earliest cases of what could be described as a 'transsexual' or 'third-gender grave' in the Czech Republic," stated lead archaeologist Kamila Remisova Vesinova, a researcher with the Czech Archaeological Society.
Caveman buried in way reserved for woman
The 5000-year-old caveman is believed to belong to the Corded Ware culture, which existed between 2500 and 2900 BCE.
As a part of this culture, men were buried lying on their right side and their heads faced the west. Also weapons were placed along with them.
Women were buried lying on their left side with heads pointing east and they were surrounded by domestic items like jugs, pots and jewelery.
But archaeologists found that the caveman was buried on his left side with his head facing west. Also there were household jugs, and no weapons.
“From history and ethnology, we know that when a culture had strict burial rules they never made mistakes with these sort of things.”--Lead archaeologist Kamila Remisova Vesinova
Burial position unlikely to be mistaken
According to researchers, people from that period took burial rites very seriously, so it is “highly unlikely this positioning was a mistake.”
Researchers added that there have been instances when female warriors were buried with funeral rites offered to men but they have never come across a grave in which a male was buried in a style reserved for female.
Vesinova stated, “From history and ethnology, we know that when a culture had strict burial rules they never made mistakes with these sort of things.
"Far more likely is that he was a man with a different sexual orientation, homosexual or transsexual."