It was a whole body that was covered in dirt and then decayed within the grave itself, in part demonstrating that it was buried at the time as a whole flesh entity, but not by some dramatic collapse or being washed in,” Berger said. “It’s not a body that died in a depression or hole. Other burial sites were dug horizontally into slopes, with bodies placed inside, showing that the remains didn’t end up there by other, nondeliberate means, Berger said. One child (right) depicted through a computerized tomography, or CT, reconstruction, was approximately 13 years old at the time of death. The cave's Hill Antechamber (left) feature contains the remains of at least four Homo naledi children. The scientists found ovals dug into cave surfaces resembling holes, and the remains of bodies placed inside in curled positions. In 2018, the team began to find evidence that supported the idea that Homo naledi intentionally buried their dead. When Berger and his team announced the discovery of Homo naledi in 2015, they suggested it was possible that the species deliberately disposed of their dead in the cave.īut the idea of a small-brained hominin doing so was considered to be a very controversial hypothesis. And as the team continued deeper into the caves, it became clear that Homo naledi was very familiar with and using broad parts of the cave system. The researchers have found many Homo naledi fossils throughout the caves, including the remains of very young infants and aged adults, to help them understand Naledi as a population, Hawks said. One body belonged to an adult Homo naledi, and the other was a juvenile. This image shows two burial features discovered in the Rising Star cave's Dinaledi Chamber. Keneiloe Molopyane, National Geographic Explorer and lead excavator of Dragon’s Back Expedition (named for one of the cave’s features).īerger said he had to lose 55 pounds (25 kilograms) to enter the cave’s precarious chambers in 2022. The cave system includes deadly steep drops and tiny passageways like Superman’s Crawl, a tunnel measuring 131 feet (40 meters) long and 9.8 inches (25 centimeters) across, requiring the researchers to belly crawl their way through, said Dr. Tebogo Makhubela, senior lecturer of geology at the University of Johannesburg. The team has mapped over 2.5 miles (4 kilometers) of the caves so far, which have a vertical depth of 328 feet (100 meters) and expand for more than 656 feet (200 meters) in length, said the studies’ lead geologist Dr. “That would mean not only are humans not unique in the development of symbolic practices, but may not have even invented such behaviors.”Įxploring the labyrinth-like Rising Star cave system and its chambers isn’t for the faint of heart. It seems an inevitable conclusion that in combination they indicate that this small-brained species of ancient human relatives was performing complex practices related to death,” said Berger, lead author on two of the studies and coauthor on the third, in a statement. “These recent findings suggest intentional burials, the use of symbols, and meaning-making activities by Homo naledi. Similar symbols found in other caves were carved by early Homo sapiens 80,000 years ago and Neanderthals 60,000 years ago and were thought to have been used as a way to record and share information. The symbols include deeply carved hashtag-like cross-hatchings and other geometric shapes. Mark Thiessen/National Geographicĭuring the work to identify the cave burials, the scientists also found a number of symbols engraved on the cave walls, which are estimated to be between 241,000 and 335,000 years old, but they want to continue their testing for more precise dating. The burials are older than any known Homo sapiens burials by at least 100,000 years.Ī reconstruction of Homo naledi's head by paleoartist John Gurche, who spent some 700 hours recreating the head from bone scans. Now, the research team has discovered the remains of Homo naledi adults and children that were laid to rest in the fetal position within cave depressions and covered with soil. Lee Berger and his team of “ underground astronauts” have continued their work in the extensive, dangerous caves to better understand the extinct hominins, or ancient human ancestors. Paleoanthropologist and National Geographic Explorer in Residence Dr. The cave system is part of South Africa’s Cradle of Humankind, a UNESCO World Heritage Site encompassing an area where scientists have found fossils of multiple ancient human ancestor species - remains that are helping to unlock the story of human evolution. Robert Clark/National Geographicįossils belonging to Homo naledi were first discovered in the Rising Star cave system in South Africa during excavations in 2013. The study team lays out fossils of Homo naledi at the University of the Witwatersrand's Evolutionary Studies Institute in Johannesburg.
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