Our Extinct Relatives Were Maybe the First to Follow the Ritual of Burying Their Dead 300,000 Years Ago
Burying the dead has long been identified as a social custom among cultures. For long, researchers believed that the tradition came into being with modern humans. However some studies reject this assertion, stated National Geographic. They believe the practice originated from somewhere else.
Researchers in the past believed that modern humans were responsible for the creation of human burial customs because no other population seemed to have the required intellect to conduct those rituals. However, some findings in South Africa have challenged this theory and implied that the tradition possibly was followed by the extinct Homo naledi, stated National Geographic. The fossils based on which this belief has been postulated were located at the Rising Cave Star System near Johannesburg.
The idea was first announced by paleoanthropologist, Lee Berger, at a conference. He was sharing his findings regarding the remains uncovered inside the Rising Star cave system 25 miles northwest of Johannesburg. The researcher claimed they belonged to a new hominin species that had long turned extinct. It was named Homo naledi and had several features similar to modern humans. The one characteristic in which they stood apart from modern humans was their small size, which included their comparatively tiny brains (450 to 600 cubic centimeters), stated Scientific American.
Fossils from the cave were sent for examination and were found to be dated between 335,000 and 241,000 years ago. The remains were all situated in a concentrated location, inside a hard-to-reach subsystem, according to National Geographic. Researchers speculated that the place was used by the species for depositing their dead.
"We've found the cultural space of a non-[modern] human species," Berger said. In 2015, Berger and his team claimed that the site was possibly a case of intentional burial. The researchers cited the spotting of around 1,800 bone fragments in an underground chamber as their reason. They also mentioned that some of the fossils were placed in such a way, that they indicated such individuals being carefully laid in the chamber.
Several experts were doubtful of the small-brained hominins' ability to conduct such a ritual. Many claimed that the remains possibly came in through water or were carried inside by predators. However, examinations showed no gnaw marks, and analysis of the cave ruled out water deposition. In 2017, researchers found more concentrations of Homo naledi bone fragments in the cave, this time in shallow pits. Evidence suggested that the filling in these pits was different from surrounding sediments. Examinations indicated that the remains belonged to three individuals in total, amongst which one was a youth, who was surprisingly intact. Researchers indicated that such features showcased funerary behavior. "The strongest evidence we have is that the burials disrupt the existing stratigraphy in the cave," anthropologist John Hawks, a Rising Star team member stated.
The team reported burials at two specific locations, the Dinaledi Chamber and the Hill Antechamber, stated Scientific American. Researchers also observed the presence of a stone-tool-like substance in the hands of the youth. This further hints towards a burial tradition. The team also uncovered some patterns on the walls like X's, geometric motifs, and isolated lines. Though dating has not been possible, researchers assume they were made by H.naledi. If true then the behavior of engraving further proves their advanced intellect. "It’s challenging our perceptions of what it means to be human, what it means to be intelligent enough to make art, what it means to communicate graphically," said Genevieve von Petzinger, an authority on rock art.
The team found shapes and patterns etched on walls that were near the presumed burials. Findings regarding these drawings were published in bioRxiv. The inscribed surfaces appeared to have been smoothed out, with some patterns having been drawn over again and again over several years. Though it is yet to be identified whether these carvings are burial evidence, researchers believe that their mere presence strengthens their argument about this species following intentional burial. The scientific community is ecstatic by the new developments but is waiting for more findings to conclude.