Felecia Bonnet had a promising career in French academia until two years ago. That was when she accepted a teaching position at the Reinhard Van Gelder Institut fr Anthropologie und Archologie at the Universitt des Rheins near Basel, Switzerland. The institute, founded by eminent Dutch archaeologist Dr. Ernst Voorst, is named for the legendary Dr. Reinhard Van Gelder, whose work in the North Sea and Swiss Alps drew attention to previously unstudied aspects of European prehistory.

Now Professor Bonnet and her mentor, Dr. Voorst, have announced an astonishing discovery that is sure to set the European anthropological and archaeological community abuzz for years to come. A team of experts led by Dr. Voorst has excavated a grave site in a well-hidden part of the Black Forest region they dubbed the “golden wood”. The burial contained only one body, a female, and has been dated to approximately 10,000 BCE. Professor Bonnet, who holds the Chair of Rhine Valley Studies at the Van Gelder Institute, hinted that the body may not be either Neanderthal or modern Human.

The team has not yet released samples for DNA analysis, citing the transition in their work to studying a nearby previously unsuspected ancient village. Called the “City in the Trees”, the village — also dated to approximately 10,000 BCE — is believed by the scientists to be the home of the grave’s occupant. They call her the Princess of the Golden Wood.

This is not the first time Dr. Voorst has stunned the world with a spectacular prehistoric discovery in the Rhine valley. In 2007 Voorst and his colleague Reinhard Van Gelder announced that twin fortresses opposed each other in an ancient war. After a brief period of acclaim, the scientists found themselves facing a horde of critics who questioned the validity of their conclusions, since no graves or human remains had accompanied their findings.

Voorst is bracing for a new round of skepticism but he expects the Princess of the Golden Wood will help silence or at least blunt some of the critics who have questioned his work. Read more at this site.