FINLAND - A 4,400-year-old wooden staff has been unearthed in southwest Finland.

Shaped like a snake, researchers believe the staff was used by a Stone Age shaman to perform "magical" rituals.

Led by archaeologist Satu Koivisto, a team of researchers used radiocarbon dating to determine the age of the staff. Nothing like this has ever been found in Finland, the team said.

“I have seen many extraordinary things in my work as a wetland archaeologist, but the discovery of this figurine made me utterly speechless and gave me the shivers,” Koivisto told Live Science. 

The 21-inch staff - carved from a single piece of wood - was found perfectly preserved in a layer of peat. Researchers believe the site was occupied by Stone Age people 4,000 to 6,000 years ago.

It's thought that these people held deep supernatural beliefs, and the staff was likely used to communicate with the dead or to ward off spirits.

See the full Live Science article: https://www.livescience.com/ancient-snake-stick-shaman-staff-discovered…;