41 human skeletons and ‘Penang Woman’: What you need to know
A LOT of 41 human skeletons excavated in three shell heap areas in Guar Kepah, Kepala Batas will be brought back to Malaysia next year.
Currently, all the skeletons believed to be the descendants of the ‘Penang Woman’ are kept at the National Museum of Natural History in Leiden, the Netherlands.
THESE FACTS YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE 41 HUMAN SKELETON AND WOMAN FENCE:
1. Now housed in the National Museum of Natuurhistorich Leiden in the Netherlands. It is believed to be a descendant of the ‘Penang Woman’ and is expected to be brought back to the homeland by January next year at the latest.
2. All the frames have been submitted in four boxes that have their own codes. Among those contained are bones, teeth, and skulls, which are believed to belong to adults, teenagers and children.
3. The 41 skeletons are believed to have been brought to the Netherlands in 1936 and were analyzed between 1960 and 1996, respectively at Utrecht University and the National Museum of Natural History.
4. A study will be conducted to identify, among other things, the date, cause of death and diet (nutrition) once it is brought back to Malaysia.
5. In addition to the 41 skeletons, another skeleton known as ‘Penang Woman’ was found on 19 April 2017 in Guar Kepah, Kepala Batas.
6. The face of the ‘Penang Woman’ sketch was successfully completed on 5 July 2022.
7. The face sketch of ‘Penang Woman’ was made through the Forensic Facial Approximation (FFA) method based on her skull by a group of researchers from Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) and 3D design experts from Brazil.
8. All the skeletons will be placed in the Guar Kepah Archaeological Heritage Gallery, which is scheduled to be completed next year.
