The oldest funeral in the Balkans is a matter of research by Dutch anthropologists. Photo by yantra dnes

A team of Dutch anthropologists has arrived to the Bulgarian village of Dzhulyunitsa to research the Neolithic archaeological site there.

The object of their research will be oldest funeral in the Balkans - a funeral of a person at the age of 12-13, which dates back to 6300-6150 BC.

The early Neolithic funeral was discovered in 2004 by Nedko Elenski, an archaeologist at the Regional History Museum of the nearby city of Veliko Tarnovo.

The anthropologists from the Netherlands are taking samples from the bones of the buried child in order to conduct further research. They are going to use DNA analysis in order to reveal more information about the people who lived in central northern Bulgaria some 8000 years ago.

The Neolithic settlement at Dzhulyunitsa existed between 6300 and 5700 BC. The causes of its demise are still known, according to Elenski. Two other graves dating back to 4000 BC have also been discovered nearby.

In 2005, Nedko Elenski also discovered pieces of 8000 year-old corroded metal, which turned out to be copper. These finds have been sent to Germany in order to establish whether the metal had been worked up by humans.

Another interesting fact about the contemporary village of Dzhulyunitsa is that it is the home place of Bulgarian sumo wrestler Kaloyan Mahlyanov - Kotooshu.