Analysis of 9,500-year-old human remains discovered in Central Africa, led by University of Oklahoma scientists, has revealed evidence suggesting these ancient hunter-gatherers cremated their dead millennia before the first organized African civilizations existed.
If confirmed, the discovery of a small, cremated woman on a funeral pyre at the base of Mount Hora, a prominent natural landmark in northern Malawi, would represent the oldest known example of ancient African hunter-gatherers intentionally burning the remains of a deceased individual.
The research team behind the discovery said the cremation site also hints at potentially spiritually complex ritual practices surrounding fire and death that had not previously been identified during this ancient period.
“Not only is this the earliest cremation in Africa, it was such a spectacle that we have to rethink how we view group labor and ritual in these ancient hunter-gatherer communities,” explained Jessica Thompson, an assistant professor of anthropology at Yale University, and leader of a long-term research project at the site of the discovery.
Date of Discovery Rivals Oldest Known Human Cremation Site
According to a statement announcing the unexpected discovery of ancient, cremated human remains, evidence of intentionally burned human remains appears as early as 40,000 years ago in Australia. However, “intentionally built” structures made of combustible materials don’t appear until about 10,000 years before present.
According to researchers, the previously discovered ancient pyre at the Xaasaa Na’ Upward Sun River archaeological site in Alaska, which contained the remains of a small child, was dated to sometime around 11,500 years ago. Conversely, the oldest known funerary cremation site in Africa, dated to a comparatively recent 3,500, was likely built by Pastoral Neolithic herders who were much more organized than the ancient hunter-gatherers associated with the discovery.
“Cremation is more common among ancient food-producing societies, who generally possess more complex technology and engage in more elaborate mortuary rituals than earlier hunter-gatherers,” the researchers explain.
Hellbound and Down 