Oldest known cremation in Africa poses 9,500-year-old mystery about Stone Age hunter-gatherers

By: Jessica C. Thompson, Yale University; Elizabeth Sawchuk, Stony Brook University (The State University of New York), and Jessica Cerezo-Román, University of Oklahoma, The Conversation

Outlets: The Conversation

Published: January 1, 2026

Words: 1,593

Last Updated: 4 days, 5 hours ago

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By Jessica C. Thompson, Yale University; Elizabeth Sawchuk, Stony Brook University (The State University of New York), and Jessica Cerezo-Román, University of Oklahoma

Near 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 stone.

They’re lit by a ferocious fire that’s been burning …

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