On Monday, an international scientific team announced the discovery of the oldest prehistoric tombs in South Africa, at the “Cradle of Humankind” palaeontological site north-west of Johannesburg, a UNESCO World Heritage site.
The oval tombs, located some thirty meters underground, date back at least 100,000 years to the earliest traces of mortuary practices.
The scientists, led by world-renowned palaeoanthropologist Lee Berger, pointed out that these are the oldest hominid burials ever recorded, predating the burials of Homo sapiens by at least 100,000 years”.
In articles due to be published in the scientific journal eLife, the team noted that “these discoveries show that mortuary practices were not limited to Homo sapiens or other hominids with large brains”.
The oldest tombs discovered so far, notably in the Near East and Kenya, date from around 100,000 BC and contain the remains of Homo sapiens.