Subscriptions Mike Stuchbery came across the remains of a woman who lived some 8,500 years ago – astonishing not only for the impressive manner in which she was buried Sign up to emails Subscribe to Byline Times during the construction of a park in the German town of Bad Dürrenberg in modern Sachsen-Anhalt. Together with a child sitting position and packed in red clay.  were the remains of an extraordinary head-dress created from the bones of any number of animals such as deer that would have roamed the forests of Mesolithic Europe painting implements and other tools of the common hunter-gatherer.  restricted to the burial of individuals of great status – and the ornate head-dress – that told those who studied her who she was: a Shaman of her people; a bridge from one world to the next her bones were studied to try to tell the archaeologists more about the woman and her life.  coupled with severe degradation of the upper jaw suggested that it was an infection that killed her It is quite possible that she had passed the infection to her child through breast milk resulting in their subsequent death.  it was a study of her skull and vertebrae that was to reveal the greatest surprise.  and an abnormality of her cervical vertebrae would have meant that she would have experienced significant physical effects in her daily life. At the least she could have expected to have the sensation of insects crawling across her body She may have also experienced auditory or visual hallucinations the Shaman could have effectively brought on a near instantaneous altered state of consciousness as blood flow was slowed or temporarily halted.  The Shaman was aged between 25 and 30 when she died It is clear that she was relatively well nourished and held a position of great prestige among her people.  While her skeletal abnormalities would definitely described as debilitating in some circumstances Debates surrounding how we perceive disability are not new by any means Many have had to fight for the right and the means to live with dignity over many decades So it is heartening to be reminded that that which makes us different what we consider pathology – a diagnosis – was what this woman’s peers considered to be a link to the gods you can find the Shaman of Dürrenberg at the Museum of Prehistory in Halle in a room meant to evoke the forests that she would have known during her lifetime It’s a place of peace and tranquility far from the cold sterile surrounds of many – I like to think she’s still capable of exerting her power Byline Times is brought to you by a dedicated team of journalists and contributors – producing independent, fearless, investigative and thought-provoking journalism not found in the established media. We are regulated by Impress To find the nearest newsagent stocking this month’s edition, search here. AboutContactSubscriptions Complaints Byline Media Holdings Ltd, Byline Times & Yes We Work Ltd