Laura Castells Navarro and colleagues including Professor Ian Armit, and published in Antiquity in June 2026, reports the results of a multi-strand re-analysis of skeletal remains excavated at Loch Borralie, Sutherland, in 2000.

The re-analysis combined osteoarchaeological assessment, ancient DNA analysis, stable isotope analysis, and radiocarbon dating.

The specific findings, as stated in the paper, include: the adult female skeleton (Individual 1) displayed incisions on the inside of the cranium and a perimortem fracture of the cranial base that are together suggestive of deliberate removal of the brain shortly after death; four of Individual 1’s long bones showed working of the internal cancellous bone to produce sharp points and edges consistent with tool production; the worked bones appear to have been used before being returned to the burial in anatomical position; Individual 1 also showed bilateral perimortem fractures at the base of both scapular spines; Individual 2 (the juvenile male) showed no evidence of post-mortem modification; ancient DNA placed the two individuals as probable second cousins and showed genetic connections to populations in Orkney and at Applecross; the burial dates to between the first century BCE and the first century CE.

The paper also specifically states: “The motivation behind the extensive manipulation of the skeletal remains of Individual 1 is very difficult to interpret.” It offers several interpretive possibilities — ancestor veneration, skull curation, cannibalism — without definitively endorsing any single one.