Archeologists in England say they've found an ancient human brain buried in a small pit near York.

The brain, believed to have been buried 2,000 years ago, was inside a decapitated skull, the Daily Mail reported Friday. Researchers said it may have been from a human sacrifice.

The brain tissue is about a third the size of a normal brain. The report said more research is needed to determine why the brain is so well preserved.

Richard Hall, director of archeology at the York Archaeological Trust, said it appears to be the brain of an adult "but we can't say whether it was a man or woman."