The find, which P4 Gotland was first to report, is described as unique in the world. A well-preserved fetus between 32 and 34 weeks old was found in the woman's stomach. The fetus is therefore one of the oldest ever found.
The woman, who is believed to be between 14 and 19 years old, was found in one of the deepest layers of the Suder Vagnhus cave off the west coast of Gotland.
The layer we found her in is between 7,000 and 10,000 years old. Now we will carbon-14 date her as soon as possible, says Alexander Roesen Sjöstrand to TT.
He says that the woman's body is quite fragmented, likely due to the cave collapsing.
We will be conducting studies on both the woman and the fetus, perhaps as early as this spring. It would be exciting to learn more about the health status of pregnant Stone Age women and what nutrition the fetus received.
Excavations are now continuing to find out more about the woman.
Hopefully we will also learn more about who she was, how she came to Gotland and whether she lived here full-time or for periods. Next autumn we may have more answers, says Alexander Roesen Sjöstrand.
