Analysis of 9,500-year-old human remains discovered in Central Africa, led by University of Oklahoma scientists, has revealed evidence suggesting these ancient hunter-gatherers cremated their dead millennia before the first organized African civilizations existed.
If confirmed, the discovery of a small, cremated woman on a funeral pyre at the base of Mount Hora, a prominent natural landmark in northern Malawi, would represent the oldest known example of ancient African hunter-gatherers intentionally burning the remains of a deceased individual.
The research team behind the discovery said the cremation site also hints at potentially spiritually complex ritual practices surrounding fire and death that had not previously been identified during this ancient period.
“Not only is this the earliest cremation in Africa, it was such a spectacle that we have to rethink how we view group labor and ritual in these ancient hunter-gatherer communities,” explained Jessica Thompson, an assistant professor of anthropology at Yale University, and leader of a long-term research project at the site of the discovery.
Date of Discovery Rivals Oldest Known Human Cremation Site
According to a statement announcing the unexpected discovery of ancient, cremated human remains, evidence of intentionally burned human remains appears as early as 40,000 years ago in Australia. However, “intentionally built” structures made of combustible materials don’t appear until about 10,000 years before present.
According to researchers, the previously discovered ancient pyre at the Xaasaa Na’ Upward Sun River archaeological site in Alaska, which contained the remains of a small child, was dated to sometime around 11,500 years ago. Conversely, the oldest known funerary cremation site in Africa, dated to a comparatively recent 3,500, was likely built by Pastoral Neolithic herders who were much more organized than the ancient hunter-gatherers associated with the discovery.
“Cremation is more common among ancient food-producing societies, who generally possess more complex technology and engage in more elaborate mortuary rituals than earlier hunter-gatherers,” the researchers explain.
Remains of a Single Individual Discovered in the Pyre
In the 1950s, archaeologists determined that the ancient cremation site, dubbed Hora 1, was a hunter-gatherer burial ground. However, those scientists didn’t know when those burials occurred. Decades later, Thompson’s team unearthed evidence that it was used by ancient humans as far back as 21,000 years ago, with the site’s burials seemingly dating to between 16,000 and 8,000 years before present. Notably, all the bodies buried during this period were interred in a complete state.
In collaboration with the Malawi Department of Museums and Monuments, the latest effort analyzed a separate set of bones from what they described as a “highly fragmented individual.” 170 separate bones were examined, mostly originating from the woman’s arms and legs. The researchers say the bones suggest the woman was between 18 and 60 years old and slightly under 5 feet tall.
After a closer analysis of the cremated remains, the researchers determined that the body was likely cremated before decomposition, most likely within a few days of the woman’s death. The researchers also found cut marks on the bones, suggesting that the flesh had been removed before incineration.
Study team member Elizabeth Sawchuk, a Curator of Human Evolution at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History and a bioarchaeologist, said they were surprised to find no teeth or skull bone fragments in the cremated remains. Sawchuk said that because those body parts are historically preserved during cremations, the team believed they may have been removed “prior to burning.”
Labor Intensive Cremation Hints at Its Purpose
When discussing the unusual nature of an organized cremation by African hunter-gatherers almost 10,000 years ago, Jessica Cerezo-Román, an associate professor of anthropology at the University of Oklahoma and the study’s lead author, noted the significant amount of labor and time required to complete an effective cremation.
“Cremation is very rare among ancient and modern hunter-gatherers, at least partially because pyres require a huge amount of labor, time, and fuel to transform a body into fragmented and calcined bone and ash,” Professor Cerezo-Román explained.
For example, the team estimated that ancient humans would have had to gather at least 30 kilograms of deadwood and grass, a figure they said points to a significant communal effort. An analysis of ash sediments and bone fragments also suggests that participants actively disturbed the fire throughout the burning, including regularly adding more fuel to maintain the high temperatures needed. The team estimated the fire reached temperatures above 500°C.
Cerezo-Román said the job of removing and preparing the body may sound “gruesome,” but also noted that these practices may have been associated with social memory, remembrance of a loved one, or an ancestral veneration. The professor also pointed out that a growing body of evidence suggests ancient hunter-gatherers in Malawi performed cremations that included the posthumous “removal, curation, and secondary reburial of body parts,” maybe as tokens of the deceased.
In the study’s conclusion, the team notes that stone tools discovered at the site may have been funerary objects added during or after the cremation. They also note that no other individuals were cremated, suggesting that the site was considered significant.
“The history of large fires in this location, the effort associated with the cremation, and the subsequent burning events reflect a deep-rooted tradition at the site linked to ritual behavior and memory-making tied to a place that was clearly a local landmark,” they explained.
As far as the woman who was cremated when others at the site were buried, the researchers said that is still an open question.
“Why was this one woman cremated when the other burials at the site were not treated that way?” Thompson asked.
The study “Earliest Evidence for Intentional Cremation of Human Remains in Africa” was published in Science Advances.
Christopher Plain is a Science Fiction and Fantasy novelist and Head Science Writer at The Debrief. Follow and connect with him on X, learn about his books at plainfiction.com, or email him directly at christopher@thedebrief.org.