Ancient Africans Built World's Oldest Cremation Pyre, Study Reveals
Excavations in northern Malawi have unearthed a 9,500-year-old pyre containing adult remains, pushing back the known history of intentional cremations in Africa by nearly 4,000 years. The discovery, published in the journal Science Advances, has sent shockwaves through the archaeological community, shedding new light on the lives and rituals of ancient hunter-gatherer communities.
At the heart of this remarkable find is a cremation pyre built around 9,500 years ago, which researchers believe to be the oldest known pyre to contain adult remains. The pyre, discovered in a rock shelter at the foot of Mount Hora, yielded an astonishing 170 individual human bone fragments - believed to belong to a woman around 5 feet tall - found in two clusters during excavations in 2017 and 2018.
The remarkable site has sparked debates among researchers about the purpose of the pyre. While initial thoughts suggested that the remains might have been victims of violent cannibalism or ritualistic practices, experts now believe that the woman's body was deliberately cremated as part of a funerary ritual. The separation of bones at joints and the removal of flesh before burning are thought to be indicative of a more complex and sophisticated burial practice.
The discovery has significant implications for our understanding of ancient African societies, with some researchers hailing it as one of the most significant finds in recent memory. Dr. Jessica Cerezo-Román, lead author of the study, notes that the find "supports our hypothesis that some of the missing bones from the cremated woman may have been deliberately removed and taken as tokens for curation or reburial elsewhere."
The presence of flakes and points from stone-knapping within the pyre has further fueled speculation about the significance of this discovery. While it is unclear why the woman was given such special treatment, researchers believe that her remains might have held spiritual or symbolic value.
This remarkable find also highlights the complexity of social roles in ancient hunter-gatherer communities, challenging long-held stereotypes and offering a glimpse into the lives of people who lived thousands of years ago. As Dr. Joel Irish notes, "That it is such an early date, and that they would have been transient as hunter-gatherers makes it more amazing."
Excavations in northern Malawi have unearthed a 9,500-year-old pyre containing adult remains, pushing back the known history of intentional cremations in Africa by nearly 4,000 years. The discovery, published in the journal Science Advances, has sent shockwaves through the archaeological community, shedding new light on the lives and rituals of ancient hunter-gatherer communities.
At the heart of this remarkable find is a cremation pyre built around 9,500 years ago, which researchers believe to be the oldest known pyre to contain adult remains. The pyre, discovered in a rock shelter at the foot of Mount Hora, yielded an astonishing 170 individual human bone fragments - believed to belong to a woman around 5 feet tall - found in two clusters during excavations in 2017 and 2018.
The remarkable site has sparked debates among researchers about the purpose of the pyre. While initial thoughts suggested that the remains might have been victims of violent cannibalism or ritualistic practices, experts now believe that the woman's body was deliberately cremated as part of a funerary ritual. The separation of bones at joints and the removal of flesh before burning are thought to be indicative of a more complex and sophisticated burial practice.
The discovery has significant implications for our understanding of ancient African societies, with some researchers hailing it as one of the most significant finds in recent memory. Dr. Jessica Cerezo-Román, lead author of the study, notes that the find "supports our hypothesis that some of the missing bones from the cremated woman may have been deliberately removed and taken as tokens for curation or reburial elsewhere."
The presence of flakes and points from stone-knapping within the pyre has further fueled speculation about the significance of this discovery. While it is unclear why the woman was given such special treatment, researchers believe that her remains might have held spiritual or symbolic value.
This remarkable find also highlights the complexity of social roles in ancient hunter-gatherer communities, challenging long-held stereotypes and offering a glimpse into the lives of people who lived thousands of years ago. As Dr. Joel Irish notes, "That it is such an early date, and that they would have been transient as hunter-gatherers makes it more amazing."
this is insane! 9,500 years old?!?! like what even was going on back then?!? i mean, we thought we knew so much about ancient africa but clearly we had no idea 
. cremating a woman and removing her bones like that? it's wild to think about the rituals they were trying to do. i love how this is shaking up all our preconceived notions of ancient societies 
.
Was it a way to honor the dead or something? And why her, specifically? Was she like, super important or something? I'm lowkey obsessed with finding out more about this woman's life and the community that built the pyre. This is literally changing everything we thought we knew about ancient Africa! 
the fact that the bones were removed and taken as tokens or reburied elsewhere is wild 
and can you believe this was done 4k yrs before we even knew about intentional cremations lol 
this study is giving me so much to think about and i'm low-key obsessed with understanding more about these ancient societies 
. It's like we're seeing a prequel to our modern-day debates about equality and representation 
.
And on a related note, how do we think the government (or rather, our institutions) would respond to a society that's been around for nearly as long as some of our current laws? 
its mind blown that ancient africans built something so advanced and complex. im all about the history buff right now 
and this find is literally a game changer. i love how its challenging our old stereotypes of ancient hunter-gatherer societies 
. can you even imagine the pyre was built for that woman's special occasion or something 
just kidding 
. Seriously though, who knew ancient Africans were so into pyres? Like, they must've been trying to set the bar low for funeral directors or something 
.
But what's trippy is that the remains of this woman were so special they got their own pyre 
Either way it's def changing our understanding of ancient African societies 
The fact that they were able to develop such a complex funerary ritual, complete with separating bones at joints and removing flesh before burning, is just incredible. It's giving me major culture shock! 
. I'm curious to know more about these ancient hunter-gatherer societies, but at the same time, I don't want my timeline messed up 
. The woman's remains are pretty fascinating too... who wouldn't want a 5' tall skeleton? 
! It's crazy to think that ancient Africans were doing stuff like this way back then. The separation of bones and removal of flesh before burning is so cool 
The fact that they might've taken the woman's bones as tokens for curation or reburial elsewhere gives me chills 
