New Neolithic bones, artefacts found at Guar Kepah

GEORGE TOWN: Archaeologists have uncovered three new bones and artefacts dating back to the Neolithic stone age 5,000 years ago in Guar Kepah, North Seberang Prai district.
Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said the discovery was made by archaeologists from Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) hired by the state government when piling works for a neolithic gallery at the site began.
He said a rib cage, a skull and a femur bone were found at a 0.96ha site which was older than the Bujang Valley site in Kedah.
He said the state government was committed to protecting the findings and would pass it to USM for their study to be conducted.
"We also gave them RM20,000 for their excavation tools, payment for workers, field analysis, carbon dating and scientific analysis," he said at a press conference, adding he was delighted to have "Penang Man" as well.
He added USM would also head an archaeology study on the findings for two weeks.
The USM team, headed by Centre of Global Archaeological Research director Prof Dr Mokhtar Saidin, said the discovery was important for the country as well as it proved humans were here during ancient times.
He said the bones were found 70cm below a house floor which was flattened to build the gallery.
He said he asked Public Works Department (PWD) to immediately stop work and digging works have since stopped.
"The site has now been cordoned off for investigations to be carried out," he said, adding that work on the gallery would proceed when everything settles.
The Guar Kepah site was where the British had found bones during the 1800s and was recently marked to be made into a gallery.
The Penang government is in the midst of talks to have 37 bones found by Sir G. W. Earl on the site in 1860, which are now in Leiden, Holland, to be kept at the gallery.