A Human Brain Preserved in Mud for Over 2000 Years is the Oldest Ever Discovered

Archaeologists have unearthed what they believe to be the oldest human brain ever discovered. It's possible that the brain may have been preserved for over 2,000 years by mud.

The recent discovery was made after researchers unearthed a decapitated skull at an Iron Age dig site near York in 2008, according to BBC News. The skull itself was found facing downward without the rest of its body in a muddy, clay-rich pit, according to Inquisitr.

It's this muddy environment that may be largely to blame for the brain's preservation. The muddy pit provided an environment that was largely oxygen-free, which was perfect for preservation. This may be the reason why the brain lasted for almost 2,000 years.

The brain itself, according to researchers, has a "resilient, tofu-like texture." The jaw and two vertebrate were also still attached to the skull. Although scientists believed that the individual was hanged before being decapitated with a knife, new research seems to suggest otherwise. Scientists believe that the head was severed with a sharp-edged instrument and that hanging isn't to blame for the separation, according to the Inquisitr.

The brain itself has now been named the "Heslington Brain." Although it was preserved in mud, researchers are scratching their own heads when it comes to understanding why it lasted for so long. They believe it may partly due to the fact that the skull was severed immediately from the body, which means that intestinal bacteria could not contaminate it, according to IB Times.

The brain is currently being heralded as the oldest ever found. Studies are ongoing, and archaeologists can only speculate as to why the man was killed. It could be he was killed in battle, executed as a prisoner or even sacrificed in a religious ceremony.

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