The Pan-Era Woman: 11,000-Year-old Human Remains Found at Site BZT-1 in Brazoria County, Texas

A Houston, Texas archaeologist, Robert P. d'Aigle, has discovered what may be the oldest human remains ever revealed on the North American continent. The skeletal remains were discovered in Brazoria County, Texas. CRC, International Archaeology & Ecology, LLC of Spring, Texas, was retained as cultural resource management consultants (Archaeologists) by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service to investigate the discovery of bone fragments found on property belonging to the Service. During the preliminary investigations, the skull, fragments of the mandible and associated teeth, and the first two vertebrae of the neck were recovered.

These remains have been radiocarbon dated to a minimum of 11,000 years BP and are being further evaluated by CRC's forensic anthropologist. These human remains were entombed around the time of the last ice age (Younger Dryas) and remained hidden until last year. To recognize this broad expanse of time and space, we have named the remains, The Pan-Era Woman. Pan-Era is a compound word that describes this expanse of time and space. Pan- is a combining form signifying all, or every. Era signifies a period of time in which a new order of things prevails; a signal stage of history. While the forensic analysis of the remains provides only a preliminary determination of a 20-30 year old female, out of respect for the person these remains represent, we have decided to provide a title rather than refer to the remains as "it" or "them."

Bob d'Aigle is a Registered Professional Archaeologist and a graduate of Louisiana State University and the University of Houston. Bob is a native of Opelousas, Louisiana. Nataliya V. Hryshechko, MS, is a native of Dneiprodzerzhins'k, Ukraine and is the firm's Director of Laboratory Services. Ms. Hryshechko is a graduate of Dneipropetrovs'k Industrial University, Ukraine. CRC, LLC specializes in cultural resource compliance investigations for terrestrial and submerged archaeological resources, worldwide.

www.culturalresource.com/pan.html

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