Mexican archaeologists unearthed a richly adorned human body in a grave that could be more than 1,000 years old. It was found in an area where workers were finishing construction on a major tourist rail project, the country's national antiquities institute Inah said on Monday.
The discovery took place this month during archaeological salvage work carried out in tandem with building a multibillion-dollar train in southern Mexico designed in large part to draw tourists to southern Mexico's many ancient Mayan sites, as well as nearby beach resorts such as Cancun and Tulum.
The rail project, known as the Maya Train, is a top economic development priority of President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador. It employs teams of relatively well-funded archaeologists who have rushed to complete excavations, so the construction work will not be delayed. Digs elsewhere in the country have suffered budget cuts.
The latest burial discovery took place during work on the construction of a hotel near the major Maya ruins of Palenque in Chiapas state, once home to one of the ancient civilisation's largest and most sophisticated urban centres.
The skeletal remains were found about 2km from the city's centre, home to towering temples and a sprawling palace compound, in a stone box. They likely belong to an elite resident of the city, known by the ancient Maya as Lakamha'.
The box also held three ceramic vessels, ear flares and a pair of greenstone beads.
Inah also noted that the individual was buried face up, his head facing north, adding that further tests are needed to determine the individual's exact age and other characteristics.
Scholars credit the ancient Maya with major human achievements in art, architecture, astronomy and writing.
Palenque, like dozens of other ancient cities, clustered around southern Mexico and parts of Central America, thrived from about 300 to 900 AD.
More on Quran memorisation:
ELIO
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Anxiety and work stress major factors
Anxiety, work stress and social isolation are all factors in the recogised rise in mental health problems.
A study UAE Ministry of Health researchers published in the summer also cited struggles with weight and illnesses as major contributors.
Its authors analysed a dozen separate UAE studies between 2007 and 2017. Prevalence was often higher in university students, women and in people on low incomes.
One showed 28 per cent of female students at a Dubai university reported symptoms linked to depression. Another in Al Ain found 22.2 per cent of students had depressive symptoms - five times the global average.
It said the country has made strides to address mental health problems but said: “Our review highlights the overall prevalence of depressive symptoms and depression, which may long have been overlooked."
Prof Samir Al Adawi, of the department of behavioural medicine at Sultan Qaboos University in Oman, who was not involved in the study but is a recognised expert in the Gulf, said how mental health is discussed varies significantly between cultures and nationalities.
“The problem we have in the Gulf is the cross-cultural differences and how people articulate emotional distress," said Prof Al Adawi.
“Someone will say that I have physical complaints rather than emotional complaints. This is the major problem with any discussion around depression."
Daniel Bardsley
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
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- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
The National Archives, Abu Dhabi
Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.
Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en
