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Evidence for deliberate burial of the dead by Homo naledi

View ORCID ProfileLee R Berger, Tebogo Makhubela, Keneiloe Molopyane, Ashley Krüger, Patrick Randolph-Quinney, Marina Elliott, Becca Peixotto, Agustín Fuentes, Paul Tafforeau, Vincent Beyrand, Kathleen Dollman, Zubair Jinnah, Angharad Brewer Gillham, Kenneth Broad, Juliet Brophy, Gideon Chinamatira, Paul H. M. Dirks, Elen Feuerriegel, Alia Gurtov, Nompumelelo Hlophe, Lindsay Hunter, Rick Hunter, Kudakwashe Jakata, Corey Jaskolski, Hannah Morris, Ellie Pryor, Maropeng Ramaphela, Eric Roberts, Jacqueline S. Smilg, Mathabela Tsikoane, Steven Tucker, Dirk van Rooyen, Kerryn Warren, Colin D. Wren, Marc Kissel, Penny Spikins, John Hawks
doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2023.06.01.543127
Lee R Berger
1The National Geographic Society, 1145 17th St NW, Washington DC, 20036
2Centre for the Exploration of the Deep Human Journey, School of Anatomical Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand; Private Bag 3, Wits 2050, South Africa
3The Carnegie Institution for Science, 5241 Broad Branch Road NW Washington D.C. 20015
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  • For correspondence: lrberger@ngs.org
Tebogo Makhubela
2Centre for the Exploration of the Deep Human Journey, School of Anatomical Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand; Private Bag 3, Wits 2050, South Africa
4Department of Geology, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, PO Box 524, Auckland Park, 2006
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  • For correspondence: lrberger@ngs.org
Keneiloe Molopyane
2Centre for the Exploration of the Deep Human Journey, School of Anatomical Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand; Private Bag 3, Wits 2050, South Africa
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Ashley Krüger
5Department of Palaeobiology, Swedish Museum of Natural History, Box 50007, SE-104 05, Stockholm, Sweden
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Patrick Randolph-Quinney
2Centre for the Exploration of the Deep Human Journey, School of Anatomical Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand; Private Bag 3, Wits 2050, South Africa
6Department of Applied Sciences, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, Northumbria University, UK
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Marina Elliott
2Centre for the Exploration of the Deep Human Journey, School of Anatomical Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand; Private Bag 3, Wits 2050, South Africa
7Department of Archaeology, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, BC, V5A 1S6, Canada
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Becca Peixotto
2Centre for the Exploration of the Deep Human Journey, School of Anatomical Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand; Private Bag 3, Wits 2050, South Africa
8The American University, 4400 Massachusetts Ave NW, Washington, D.C., DC 20016, USA
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Agustín Fuentes
9Department of Anthropology, Princeton University; 123 Aaron Burr Hall, Princeton USA 08455
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Paul Tafforeau
10European Synchrotron Radiation Facility, 71 Avenue des Martyrs, CS-40220 38043 Grenoble cedex 09, France
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Vincent Beyrand
2Centre for the Exploration of the Deep Human Journey, School of Anatomical Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand; Private Bag 3, Wits 2050, South Africa
10European Synchrotron Radiation Facility, 71 Avenue des Martyrs, CS-40220 38043 Grenoble cedex 09, France
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Kathleen Dollman
10European Synchrotron Radiation Facility, 71 Avenue des Martyrs, CS-40220 38043 Grenoble cedex 09, France
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Zubair Jinnah
2Centre for the Exploration of the Deep Human Journey, School of Anatomical Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand; Private Bag 3, Wits 2050, South Africa
11School of GeoSciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Private Bag 3, Wits 2050, South Africa
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Angharad Brewer Gillham
12Frontiers Media Limited, New Broad Street House, 35 New Broad St, London EC2M 1NH, United Kingdom
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Kenneth Broad
13Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science, 4600 Rickenbacker Causeway Miami, FL 33149
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Juliet Brophy
2Centre for the Exploration of the Deep Human Journey, School of Anatomical Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand; Private Bag 3, Wits 2050, South Africa
14Department of Geography and Anthropology, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USA
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Gideon Chinamatira
15Evolutionary Studies Institute, University of the Witwatersrand, Private Bag 3, Wits 2050, South Africa
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Paul H. M. Dirks
2Centre for the Exploration of the Deep Human Journey, School of Anatomical Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand; Private Bag 3, Wits 2050, South Africa
16Department of Geoscience, James Cook University, Townsville, Qld 4811, Australia
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Elen Feuerriegel
2Centre for the Exploration of the Deep Human Journey, School of Anatomical Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand; Private Bag 3, Wits 2050, South Africa
17Primate Evolutionary Biomechanics Laboratory, Department of Anthropology, Box 353100, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195-3100, USA
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Alia Gurtov
18Department of Anthropology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53593, USA
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Nompumelelo Hlophe
19Department of Anthropology, 4352 TAMU College Station, TX 77843-4352, USA
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Lindsay Hunter
20Center for Academic Research & Training in Anthropogeny, UC San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive #0140, La Jolla, CA 92093-0140, USA
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Rick Hunter
2Centre for the Exploration of the Deep Human Journey, School of Anatomical Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand; Private Bag 3, Wits 2050, South Africa
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Kudakwashe Jakata
15Evolutionary Studies Institute, University of the Witwatersrand, Private Bag 3, Wits 2050, South Africa
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Corey Jaskolski
21Synthetaic, 1309 Milwaukee St, Delafield, WI, USA
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Hannah Morris
2Centre for the Exploration of the Deep Human Journey, School of Anatomical Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand; Private Bag 3, Wits 2050, South Africa
22ICON & Warnell School of Forestry, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA
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Ellie Pryor
23School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Main Building, Park Place, Cardiff, CF10 3AT, United Kingdom
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Maropeng Ramaphela
2Centre for the Exploration of the Deep Human Journey, School of Anatomical Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand; Private Bag 3, Wits 2050, South Africa
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Eric Roberts
2Centre for the Exploration of the Deep Human Journey, School of Anatomical Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand; Private Bag 3, Wits 2050, South Africa
15Evolutionary Studies Institute, University of the Witwatersrand, Private Bag 3, Wits 2050, South Africa
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Jacqueline S. Smilg
2Centre for the Exploration of the Deep Human Journey, School of Anatomical Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand; Private Bag 3, Wits 2050, South Africa
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Mathabela Tsikoane
2Centre for the Exploration of the Deep Human Journey, School of Anatomical Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand; Private Bag 3, Wits 2050, South Africa
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Steven Tucker
2Centre for the Exploration of the Deep Human Journey, School of Anatomical Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand; Private Bag 3, Wits 2050, South Africa
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Dirk van Rooyen
2Centre for the Exploration of the Deep Human Journey, School of Anatomical Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand; Private Bag 3, Wits 2050, South Africa
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Kerryn Warren
24Human Evolution Research Institute, 3rd Floor Beaee Building, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
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Colin D. Wren
25Department of Anthropology, University of Colorado Colorado Springs; Colorado Springs, 80918, USA
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Marc Kissel
26Department of Anthropology, Appalachian State University; 348 Anne Belk Hall 224 Boone, NC, USA 28608
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Penny Spikins
27Department of Archaeology, University of York; The King’s Manor, York, UK, YO1 7EP
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John Hawks
2Centre for the Exploration of the Deep Human Journey, School of Anatomical Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand; Private Bag 3, Wits 2050, South Africa
18Department of Anthropology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53593, USA
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  • For correspondence: lrberger@ngs.org
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Abstract

Recent excavations in the Rising Star Cave System of South Africa have revealed burials of the extinct hominin species Homo naledi. A combination of geological and anatomical evidence shows that hominins dug holes that disrupted the subsurface stratigraphy and interred the remains of H. naledi individuals, resulting in at least two discrete features within the Dinaledi Chamber and the Hill Antechamber. These are the most ancient interments yet recorded in the hominin record, earlier than evidence of Homo sapiens interments by at least 100,000 years. These interments along with other evidence suggest that diverse mortuary practices may have been conducted by H. naledi within the cave system. These discoveries show that mortuary practices were not limited to H. sapiens or other hominins with large brain sizes.

Competing Interest Statement

The authors have declared no competing interest.

Copyright 
The copyright holder for this preprint is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under a CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license.
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Posted June 05, 2023.
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Evidence for deliberate burial of the dead by Homo naledi
Lee R Berger, Tebogo Makhubela, Keneiloe Molopyane, Ashley Krüger, Patrick Randolph-Quinney, Marina Elliott, Becca Peixotto, Agustín Fuentes, Paul Tafforeau, Vincent Beyrand, Kathleen Dollman, Zubair Jinnah, Angharad Brewer Gillham, Kenneth Broad, Juliet Brophy, Gideon Chinamatira, Paul H. M. Dirks, Elen Feuerriegel, Alia Gurtov, Nompumelelo Hlophe, Lindsay Hunter, Rick Hunter, Kudakwashe Jakata, Corey Jaskolski, Hannah Morris, Ellie Pryor, Maropeng Ramaphela, Eric Roberts, Jacqueline S. Smilg, Mathabela Tsikoane, Steven Tucker, Dirk van Rooyen, Kerryn Warren, Colin D. Wren, Marc Kissel, Penny Spikins, John Hawks
bioRxiv 2023.06.01.543127; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2023.06.01.543127
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Evidence for deliberate burial of the dead by Homo naledi
Lee R Berger, Tebogo Makhubela, Keneiloe Molopyane, Ashley Krüger, Patrick Randolph-Quinney, Marina Elliott, Becca Peixotto, Agustín Fuentes, Paul Tafforeau, Vincent Beyrand, Kathleen Dollman, Zubair Jinnah, Angharad Brewer Gillham, Kenneth Broad, Juliet Brophy, Gideon Chinamatira, Paul H. M. Dirks, Elen Feuerriegel, Alia Gurtov, Nompumelelo Hlophe, Lindsay Hunter, Rick Hunter, Kudakwashe Jakata, Corey Jaskolski, Hannah Morris, Ellie Pryor, Maropeng Ramaphela, Eric Roberts, Jacqueline S. Smilg, Mathabela Tsikoane, Steven Tucker, Dirk van Rooyen, Kerryn Warren, Colin D. Wren, Marc Kissel, Penny Spikins, John Hawks
bioRxiv 2023.06.01.543127; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2023.06.01.543127

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