Human remains from 4,500 years ago were discovered in Co Tyrone yesterday. The ashes of two people were unearthed in a stone chamber buried in the grounds of Newtownstewart Castle. The remains, divided into two chambers, were piled beside ceramic pots. It is believed they are the remains of a husband and wife.
The discovery has been described as one of the most significant in the North. A team of archaeologists from the Environmental and Heritage Department stumbled across the find while investigating the ruins of the 17th-century castle.
They believe they have found a Bronze Age cemetery. The excavation director, Mr Ruairi O Baoill, said he had never seen a prehistoric grave so intact. "It is an amazing discovery. We have two complete food vessels and two piles of cremated bone which look like that of two individuals, possibly a husband and wife. We were expecting to uncover evidence about life some 400 years ago, not about death 4,500 years ago."
