4,000-year-old skull found along Indiana riverbank: Coroner
A human skull that dates back to 2300 B.C has been discovered in Indiana in a "powerful and humbling reminder" of the area's long history, according to the Fayette County Coroner's Office.
The portion of the skull, which was found back in June, was located "on the bank of the Whitewater River" and determined to be approximately 4,270 years old, the coroner's office announced in a press release on Monday.
When the skull was found back in June, the landowner reported the remains to the Fayette County Sheriff's Department, the coroner's office said.
The University of Indianapolis Human Identification Center -- accompanied with the University of Georgia -- were able to "accurately determine the antiquity of this discovery" through testing that included radiocarbon dating, according to the coroner's office.
"This discovery underscores the importance of our community's vigilance and the necessity of professional collaboration. I want to commend the landowner for their responsible action in immediately reporting the finding," Eddie Richardson, the county coroner, said in a statement.
The coroner's office noted that the "remarkable" discovery shows how "people have walked this land, our home in Fayette County, for millennia."
"It calls upon all of us to handle this matter with the utmost respect and diligence," the coroner's office said.
The coroner's office will work with the Indiana Department of Natural Resources on the "next steps for repatriation and site management" so that the "ancestral discovery is handled according to cultural and legal standards."
The coroner's office didn't respond to ABC News' request for further comment.
