A team of international researchers claimed that they have discovered the oldest known beheaded skull in the United States. The unique thing about the skull is that it has been arranged in a strange, possibly symbolic pose, said the researchers.

The skull, which the team described in the journal PLOS ONE, was found in a rock shelter in east-central Brazil known as Lapa do Santo. The skull appeared to be of a young man.

The skull was discovered in a grave which was almost 22 inches underneath the surface. The researchers said they also found that there were several limestone slabs placed on the grave, estimated to be between 9,127 and 9,438 years old.

The study authors wrote in the journal that their find is so far the oldest case of decapitation found in the New World. They said that studying the find will help in re-evaluation of the previous interpretations of this practice, particularly with regards to its origins and geographic dispersion.

The team said the face of the skull was covered with the bones of two amputated hands, palms facing inward. The right hand covered the left side of the face, fingers pointed at the chin; the left hand covered the right side of the face with fingers pointing to the forehead.

Study co-author Mark Hubbe, a bioarchaeologist at Ohio State University, said, "This is very unique find ... this is only one we ever found that has this type of symbolic, of ritual, processes. We don't know where rest of the body is -- which is part of the mystery, I guess".