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Livescience_2013 04669.txt

#Mysterious Shaman Stones Uncovered in Panama Archaeologists have unearthed nearly 5000-year-old shaman's stones in a rock shelter in Panama. The stone collection may be the earliest evidence of shamanic rituals in that region of Central america researchers say. The 12 stones were found in the Casita de Piedra rock shelter in the Isthmus of panama. The rocks which carbon-dating of surrounding material showed to be between 4000 and 4800 years old were clustered in a tight pile. That suggests they had been carried there likely in a leather pouch that has disintegrated long since said study co-author Ruth Dickau an archaeologist at the University of Exeter in an email. If our interpretation is correct it constitutes the earliest material evidence in lower Central america of shamanistic practice the authors wrote in the article. The findings were published online Dec 27 in the journal Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences. Theâ Pre-columbian rock shelter was discovered first in the 1970s and was thought initially to have been used by people since about 6500 years ago. In 2006 Dickau reanalyzed the shelter and found that people had used the shady nook for cooking and toolmaking for over 9000 years. During the excavations she also uncovered the mysterious cache of stones. In Photos: Amazing Ruins of the Ancient World The collection which included translucent quartz pyriteâ magnetic rocks and bladed tools was used likely in shamanic rituals because of how closely together they were packed Dickau told Livescience. Some of the rocks contained grains of iron called magnetite and showed magnetic properties by deflecting a compass needle. In addition the stone types themselves don't come from the rock shelter but were used historically in shamanic rituals throughout the region. The stones came from a distant gold-rich region of Panama called the Central Cordillera up to 3000 years before mining of the precious metal began said study co-author and consulting geologist Stewart Redwood in a statement. However there are no gold artifacts in the rock shelter and there's no evidence that the stones were collected in the course of gold prospecting as the age of the cache predates the earliest known gold artifacts from Panama by more than 2000 years Redwood said in a statement. Â The shaman who once used these rocks probably belonged to an indigenous culture that lived off maize manioc and wild tubers. But the story of the rocks themselves may remain an enigma. Â We will never be entirely sure how the ancient people used the stones in the past Dickau wrote. Modern-day practices however can provide some clues. Even today indigenous shamans in Costa rica will chant sing and blow tobacco smoke over stones to communicate with otherworldly spirits or diagnose illnesses she wrote. The stones'movement in the shaman's hands are taken as responses to questions. In addition in indigenous myths and stories in the region crystals are linked to transformative experiences. Follow Livescience on Twitter@livescience. We're also on Facebookâ & Google+.

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