5,000 years ago, Stone Age people in China crafted their ancestors' bones into cups and masks

https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/5-000-years-ago-stone-age-people-in-china-crafted-their-ancestors-bones-into-cups-and-masks?utm_term=05C645DB-A321-4D0C-ABE6-FF1619A6E093&lrh=8c5792302b49511d5b55b1aab8a23790f429c91c6d0221b591feff6a06335a85&utm_campaign=368B3745-DDE0-4A69-A2E8-62503D85375D&utm_medium=email&utm_content=8A [login to see] -4B00-8F81-F1A5AB1B17C8&utm_source=SmartBrief
Skull cups and skeleton masks have been discovered among a pile of 5,000-year-old discarded human bones in China, according to a new study. The sculpted skulls were found jumbled up with pottery and animal remains, but the purpose of the macabre items has so far eluded experts. These bones come from the Liangzhu culture, which included the earliest city in East Asia, according to the study, which was published Aug. 26 in the journal Scientific Reports. The collection of bones was carbon-dated to between 3000 and 2500 B.C., during China's Neolithic period.