Narrabeen man
The remains of a skeleton were located on Octavia St in Narrabeen in January 2005. Testing of the skeleton revealed that it was that of an Aboriginal man from 4000 years ago! 'Narrabeen Man', as he became known, had five small sharp bone points lodged in his spine as well as a head injury. Experts concluded that Narrabeen Man was not buried in a normal way but was probably murdered.
What was Narrabeen Man's life like?
Narrabeen Man probably lived by the sea all of his life. We know this because analysis of his bones showed he ate mostly fish, seaweed and shellfish. He was unusually tall but may not have lived in this area as he had both of his front teeth which were traditionally knocked out in an initiation ceremony.
Why was Narrabeen Man preserved?
The warm, dry sand which covered Narrabeen Man's body preserved his skeleton so that it was still intact 4000 years after he died.
What happened to Narrabeen Man?
Narrabeen Man's injuries indicate he was killed by a group of people. He had wounds to both his front and his back. The question remains, why was he killed? It is possible Narrabeen Man was killed as punishment for a crime. The type of spear he was attacked with, a death spear, was used by groups in the Narrabeen area to punish criminals. His intact front teeth may indicate that Narrabeen Man may have been a stranger to the area. Narrabeen Man died from multiple spear wounds and a blow to the head. This violent death may have been judgement for something Narrabeen Man had done. Analysis of his skull shows that Narrabeen Man was burnt after death. This seems unusual if his death was a punishment and suggests he was murdered and the killers tried to cover up their actions. If this was the case however, we would expect his body to be buried and Narrabeen Man was simply flung on the ground and left were he died. It seems most likely that his death was a punishment and not murder.
What was Narrabeen Man's life like?
Narrabeen Man probably lived by the sea all of his life. We know this because analysis of his bones showed he ate mostly fish, seaweed and shellfish. He was unusually tall but may not have lived in this area as he had both of his front teeth which were traditionally knocked out in an initiation ceremony.
Why was Narrabeen Man preserved?
The warm, dry sand which covered Narrabeen Man's body preserved his skeleton so that it was still intact 4000 years after he died.
What happened to Narrabeen Man?
Narrabeen Man's injuries indicate he was killed by a group of people. He had wounds to both his front and his back. The question remains, why was he killed? It is possible Narrabeen Man was killed as punishment for a crime. The type of spear he was attacked with, a death spear, was used by groups in the Narrabeen area to punish criminals. His intact front teeth may indicate that Narrabeen Man may have been a stranger to the area. Narrabeen Man died from multiple spear wounds and a blow to the head. This violent death may have been judgement for something Narrabeen Man had done. Analysis of his skull shows that Narrabeen Man was burnt after death. This seems unusual if his death was a punishment and suggests he was murdered and the killers tried to cover up their actions. If this was the case however, we would expect his body to be buried and Narrabeen Man was simply flung on the ground and left were he died. It seems most likely that his death was a punishment and not murder.