Why so many Americans are struggling to feed themselves theconversation.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from theconversation.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Australian researchers help date ancient child’s burial to 78,000 years
By Melissa Coade
Thursday May 6, 2021
Maasai sitting by the ocean on the beach. (Image: Adobe/shangarey)
The earliest known deliberate burial of humans living in Africa has been found in a cave in Kenya, with the discovery of bone fragments of a small child.
The body of a small 2.5-3-year old child, known by researchers as ‘Mtoto’ (‘child’ in Swahili), was buried in the cave near the coast of Kenya, on its side and with legs drawn up to its chest.
The finding at Panga ya Saidi, reported in
A coastal cave in Kenya sheltered the body of a tiny child no longer than three, who was arrayed as if still sleeping, in a purposely dug grave for roughly 78,000 years. Unearthed by archeologists, it is the oldest human burial discovered in Africa to date.
Archeological clues tell that the child was loved by those who buried it: Its body was wrapped in a perishable cloth before it was placed in a grave with legs drawn up to the chest, according to a press release. The toddler s head was resting on what was probably a makeshift pillow.
An artist’s interpretation of Mtoto’s burial. Source: Fernando Fueyo
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.