Researchers working in Ethiopia’s Afar Rift say they may have uncovered the earliest known evidence of human cremation, dating back roughly 100,000 years. The discovery centers on Homo sapiens bones that show signs of exposure to intense heat, including charring, cracking, discoloration, and fragmentation. If confirmed as deliberate cremation, it would predate the oldest previously known evidence by 60,000 years. However, the researchers cautioned that natural causes such as bushfires could also explain the charred remains. The bones also bear predator bite marks, suggesting the remains were scavenged before burial. The fossils were found at the Middle Awash site, one of Africa’s richest paleoanthropological regions, where researchers have spent decades uncovering stone tools, animal remains, and early human artifacts.
Pulse of Africa
