Oldest known cremation in Africa poses 9,500-year-old mystery about Stone Age hunter-gatherers
- Written by Jessica C. Thompson, Assistant Professor of Anthropology, Yale University
Why did this community burn one woman's remains in such a visible, spectacular way?Patrick FaheyNear the equator, the Sun hurries below the horizon in a matter of minutes. Darkness seeps from the surrounding forest. Nearly 10,000 years ago, at the base of a mountain in Africa, people’s shadows stretch up the wall of a natural overhang of...

