A group of archaeologists has found the oldest deliberate burial of a modern human ever discovered in Africa, dating back 78,300 years ago. The discovery sheds new light on the early origins of this ancient practice.
Africa s oldest human burial uncovered in Kenya
By (0) Researchers found the remains of a young child, buried at least 78,000 years ago, in an ancient pit in Kenya the oldest human burial in Africa. Photo by Mohammad Javad Shoaee/Jorge González/Elena Santos/F. Fuego/Max Planck Institute/CENIEH
May 5 (UPI) Researchers have recovered the remains of a three-year-old child buried 78,000 years ago in an ancient pit north of Mombasa, Kenya, according to a paper published Wednesday in the journal Nature.
The human burial pit, dubbed Panga ya Saidi, is the oldest yet discovered in Africa.
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Ancient human burials are rare in Africa. The next oldest burial is South Africa s Border Cave infant, discovered in 1941 and dated to between 74,000 and 58,000 years ago.
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An artist’s illustration depicts how Mtoto may have been laid to rest in its grave. Fernando Fueyo
Scientists unearth Africa’s oldest burial: a small child, laid to rest 78,000 years ago
May. 5, 2021 , 11:00 AM
Some 78,000 years ago, a community in East Africa laid to rest a child of about 3 years old. Its caretakers dug a shallow pit, curled its small body, and may have rested its head on a pillow before committing the body to the earth. A new study describing the excavation of the child’s grave reveals the oldest known evidence of modern humans in Africa burying their dead.