Carbon dating of bones from the cemetery at the site shows that the people lived during the Yangshao period between 3300-2900 BC. The grave of skeleton M53 fit this tradition except in one way: their hands were placed behind the back, different from all other burials at the site. The young adult was also different in size: a small skull and short limb bones suggested a form of dwarfism. Another type is proportionate dwarfism, in which the entire body is smaller than average, typically due to metabolic or hormonal imbalances. The person’s arm bones, however, measured significantly shorter than the average from either males or females from Neolithic China.

Source: Forbes December 13, 2019 15:33 UTC