Archaeologists Propose Naming System for Stone Age Human Finds

Archaeologists have devised a system to assign unique names to Stone Age skeletons and mummies, inspired by how personal stories like that of "Ötzi," the glacier man, are brought to life using advanced archaeological methods, Psy.org reported. Traditionally, archaeologists used numbers to catalog such finds. However, Prof. Dr. Christina Sanchez-Stockhammer from Chemnitz University of Technology points out that since people generally have names, it's worth considering the naming of prehistoric human remains, even though actual historical names are unknown due to a lack of written records from that era.

To explore this idea, Prof. Sanchez-Stockhammer, along with Prof. Dr. Philipp W. Stockhammer from LMU Munich and Dr. Kerstin P. Hofmann from the German Archaeological Institute, conducted a wide-reaching online survey. This survey included 319 participants from various backgrounds and age groups, revealing that while two-thirds liked the current numbering system, an even larger proportion supported the idea of assigning names.

The existing practice often follows the "Ötzi" model, generating names like "Ippsi" or "Kilti," which many survey participants found disrespectful due to their diminutive nature based on the site of discovery. As an improvement, the researchers proposed combining the initial syllable of a site name (e.g., "Haunstetten") with customary German name endings, resulting in unique identity names such as "Hauna," "Haunrid," or "Haunika."

Most survey respondents found these newly proposed names to sound like genuine human names. This finding suggests their system could help future naming efforts for prehistoric remains. Interestingly, although intended to avoid diminutive forms, "Hauni" emerged as a favorite, indicating a preference for familiar-sounding names.

Earlier, SSP wrote about species can give birth to a record number of babies in one go.