The world's oldest burial site wasn't created by our species
This says it wasn't even made by humans, let alone created by our own species.
Following this discovery, archaeologists discovered the remnants of a distant ancestor of humans, which had notably smaller brains than our own, and were previously assumed to be incapable of sophisticated behaviour.
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The earliest human burials discovered so far were discovered in the Middle East and Africa and dated back around 100,000 years, featuring the remains of Homo sapiens.
The burial site within the 'Rising Star' cave system in the Cradle of Humankind, a UNESCO world heritage site near Johannesburg in South Africa, can be dated back over 200,000 years to Homo naledi, an ancient tree-climbing hominid.
The Homo naledi species had hands adapted for using tools with curved fingers and feet developed for walking, possession of curved toes; their fossils were initially discovered in the 'Rising Star' cave system during 2013.
Experts have established that the holes unearthed in the recent excavation were dug with the intention of concealing bodies, only to be subsequently backfilled.
Researchers also discovered evidence that suggests Homo naledi was capable of complex emotional and cognitive abilities through engravings, which were also found on the smooth surfaces of a cave pillar.
Paleolithic expert Dr Lee Berger was the leader of the research.
That would suggest that humans are not alone in developing symbolic practices," he explained to AFP, "and possibly have not even created them ourselves.
Preliminary researchers are saying that the study's results may have to be examined in more depth before we can say for certain, but they could potentially shift our current understanding of human development.
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