Archaeologists have discovered a 5,000-year-old cemetery in Kenya, in the lands of which at least 580 deceased are buried. The oldest burial site was built by early African pastoralists, and archaeologists have found almost no signs of social stratification when exploring the site. According to experts, this indicates the existence of an amazing egalitarian society on the Black Continent.
The burial site is called the Lothagam North Pillar Site. According to a recent study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, this find can be considered the oldest example of a monumental cemetery in East Africa, as it contains various monuments such as pillars and tours.
The cemetery was created and used about 5000-4300 years ago by pastoralists who lived around Lake Turkana in the territory of modern Kenya.
Research team leader Elisabeth A. Hildebrand of the University of New York at Stony Brook with colleagues from the Institute for the Science of Human History. Max Planck and several other institutions studied the site during excavations and using GPR.
On the territory of the ancient cemetery there was a square surrounded by large stones with a diameter of 30 meters. In the center of this square, a huge pit was dug, which was used to bury the dead. After the pit was filled and covered with stones, the ancient builders placed large megalithic pillars on the top. Stone circles and piles of stones (tours) were set up nearby.
There are at least 580 bodies in the pit. It is likely that even more people are buried in it, since the pit is too deep to be fully explored with GPR.
The study of the corpses showed that both men and women of different ages, from babies to the elderly, were buried in the pit. All people were buried without any differences, and each had a personal decoration, and their number was approximately the same.
Such facts indicate that the ancient society was egalitarian, without significant social stratification.
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As the authors of the work write, on many bodies around the neck, thighs and / or ankles, ostrich egg shells were found. In addition, more than 300 brightly colored stone beads were found, many of which took a lot of effort and time to create.
Stone pendants and earrings found in an ancient cemetery in Kenya. The burial was built by the ancient shepherds of East Africa about 5000-4300 years ago. Photo by Carla Klehm.
The presence of this cemetery also means that the mobile and egalitarian societies of antiquity, which did not have a strong social hierarchy, were able to build monuments. That is, such a burial demonstrates that there was no need for a stratified social structure (dividing society into social strata) to create large public buildings and monuments.
Previously, archaeologists believed that people created various monuments as reminders of shared history, ideals and culture. And they were built after a sedentary socially stratified agricultural society with rich resources and strong one-man leadership was formed.
Both men and women of different ages are buried in the pit, and each had its own decoration. Photo by Katherine Grillo.
It was believed that the political structure (division of society into layers) was a prerequisite for the construction of monuments. Consequently, ancient monuments were previously considered as reliable indicators of complex societies with differentiated social classes.
Meanwhile, the Kenyan burial, as noted above, was built by nomadic pastoralists who did not show any signs of a rigid social hierarchy. According to scientists, the discovery challenges earlier notions of monumentality.
However, despite the fact that no signs of social stratification were found in the cemetery, scientists admit that they cannot know for sure whether someone was not included in the mass grave. Perhaps the ancient people chose in advance who would be buried there.