Dilek YazıcıWorkers digging a drainage ditch in the Philippines accidentally found human remains from a long ago grave, according to the Daanbantayan Municipality.
Archaeologists were called in to examine the finds and found that the site was a burial ground dating back 600 to 800 years. Chinese pottery and other items were also found at the burial site, according to the Miami Herald.
Then, a team of archaeologists headed by Jobers Reynes Bersales, director of the USC Museum of the University of San Carlos, took over the excavation and uncovered several more well preserved skeletons still partially buried in the trench.
According to a Facebook post by the Daanbantayan Municipality, the age of the burial was estimated based on Chinese ceramics found with the skeletons, but they plan to use radiocarbon dating on the remains to confirm the time frame. Archaeological excavations continue at the site.
Daanbantayan is surrounded by the Visayan Sea to the north, Medellin to the south, the Camotes Sea to the east.
The word “Daanbantayan” means “Old Guard Post”. The name is derived from the terms “daan” meaning old and “bantayan” meaning sentry, as the town served as the oldest and original place of protection against pirates and invaders.
Daanbantayan has a total land area of 9,405.83 hectares. It is a top tourist and diving destination thanks to the islands of Malapascua and Carnaza. (Malapascua Island is a world famous island known for its diving spots to see Thresher Sharks and Japanese shipwrecks.)
The town of Daanbantayan was occupied by the Imperial Japanese Forces in 1942, they also built military garrisons and internment camps for the natives who resisted the rule.
The Cebuanos did not like the presence of such forces, so they formed resistance groups with the help of the Philippine Commonwealth Army and drove out the Japanese forces. The liberation of Daanbantayan from Japanese occupation in 1945 has since been called the Daanbantayan War.
As a result of the ongoing archaeological excavations, we will learn more about the region’s ancient history together.
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