A GROUNDBREAKING discovery in South Africa’s Rising Star cave system has revealed what scientists believe may be the oldest burial site in the world. The site contains remains of Homo naledi, a small-brained distant relative of humans, suggesting that these hominids were capable of burying their dead. The findings have the potential to reshape current theories of human evolution.
Initially, scientists thought that Homo naledi, a tree-climbing Stone Age hominid discovered in South Africa’s Rising Star cave system, lacked the complex behaviour of burying the deceased. However, the latest research led by paleoanthropologist and National Geographic Society Explorer-in-Residence, Lee Berger, challenges this notion.
‘These findings could be some of the earliest examples of mortuary practices and meaning-making by a small-brained hominin, thus altering our understanding of human evolution,’ stated Berger on Monday, highlighting the significance of the discovery.
Berger, along with his research team, including Keneiloe Molopyane and Augustin Fuentes, identified depressions deep within the chambers of the Rising Star cave system, located in the Cradle of Humankind, a UNESCO World Heritage site about 48 kilometres (30 miles) from Johannesburg.
The dig team observed that bodies of H. naledi adults and several children, estimated to be younger than 13 years old, were found in foetal positions, suggesting intentional burial practices. These findings indicate that Homo naledi possessed a level of complex behaviour previously thought to be beyond their capabilities.
While the Rising Star cave system in South Africa already holds one of the earliest known burial sites of Homo sapiens, dating back at least 100,000 years, the Homo naledi burial sites are even older. Homo naledi had brains approximately one-third the size of the human brain, making this discovery significant in understanding the roots of symbolic and spiritual acts.
The research, which was funded by the National Geographic Society, is yet to undergo peer review to validate the findings.
Seven years ago, South African scientists made headlines by announcing the discovery of the richest fossil hominin site on the continent, introducing a new species named Homo naledi.
