4,000-year-old human skelton found

DUSHANBE, Tajikistan, March 28 (UPI) -- A 4,000-year-old male human skeleton has been discovered in Tajikistan, experts say.

The well-preserved skeleton was found by a group of local residents in the foothills near the Tajik village of Tudakavsh, ITAR-TASS reported Saturday.

The Russian news service reported that experts said the skeleton's face-down posture indicates the man was not buried, but likely died in battle.

Yusuf Yakubov of the Institute of History, Archaeology and Ethnography of the National Academy of Sciences said the remains and the artifacts found next to it most probably date back to the Bronze Age, about 2,500 years B.C.

"In the Kulyab region, where we have long conducted archaeological excavation quite a few Bronze Age artifacts and monuments have been found, including burial grounds and settlements," he said. "Some skeletons were found, too, but such a well-preserved one is probably the first time ever to my recollection."