Homo Naledi: An Update (More Questions than Answers?)
Trish Davies
The discovery of a new hominin species is always a cause for intense celebration and scrutiny in the world of paleoarchaeology, and Homo Naledi is no exception. (See our previous article on https://futurescience.org/homo-naledi) Found in the UNESCO World Heritage area known as the Cradle of Humankind in Gauteng, South Africa, not far from one of the centers of The Academy For Future Science, this intriguing hominin continues to challenge scientific theories of the evolutionary saga of species related to homo sapiens on our planet.
In an unusual and enviable discovery, more than 1500 fossils representing at least 15 individuals were originally found in the Rising Star Cave system in the Dinaledi (Sesotho: stars) chamber and recently a further 130 additional hominin bones belonging to 3 individuals were found in a second chamber, now called Lesedi (Sesotho: light). One of the skeletons was remarkably complete and is that of an adult male, who was dubbed Neo (Sesotho: gift – unrelated to the 1999 film The Matrix!) Working from Neo’s skeleton, scientists estimate that he was about 1,4m (or 4’6”) tall and weighed about 40 kgs (88 lbs), which implies that H. naledi was small in stature, similar to the so-called “Hobbit”, Homo Floresiensis found on the island of Flores in Indonesia, who was approximately 1,1m tall. Both these species have unique combinations of primitive and derived characteristics and small brains with H. naledi at approx. 500cc and H. floresiensis at approx. 400cc.
- naledi has attributes like curved fingers and shoulder, trunk and hip joints that resemble Australopithecines (pre-human) and H. hablis (very early human) but the wrists, hands, legs and feet are more like Neanderthals and modern humans. The teeth, for example, increase in size towards the back of the tooth row (a primitive characteristic) and yet are small and set in a slighter jawbone as with more recent species.
As H. naledi’s hands resemble those of more recent species they may have been capable of fine manipulation, leading some scientists to suggest the reassessing of archaeological records, as stone tools previously attributed to species like H. erectus or even early H. sapiens may have been the handiwork of H. naledi. Originally it was predicted that the age of the fossils, based on their traits, ranged between 2 million and 100,000 years old. However, recent “blind test” analysis of some of the teeth which was carried out separately by three independent laboratories indicates that these fossils’ age is most likely to be between 236,000 and 335,000 years old, meaning that H. naledi in all likelihood existed at the same time as the earliest members of our species. For example, in Morocco, researchers have redated a H. sapiens skull found in a cave called Jebel Irhoud to 300,000 years ago, and unearthed new fossils and stone tools. This currently is the oldest well-dated evidence of H sapiens and, depending on distribution, indicates that H. naledi may well have existed at the same time, with the possibility that some of the stone tools attributed to other species may have been their work.
As discussed in our previous article, the original team working with the fossil finds believe that the bodies found in chambers of the Rising Star cave system were deliberately and possibly ceremoniously “buried”. The chambers are extremely difficult to access and there are very few associated evidences of predators that may have carried them so deep into the caves as a meal. There is also no evidence of the scattering of bones that would be associated with simply tossing bodies into a cave. Instead, their resting place appears to have been carefully prepared and the bodies laid out. The team’s claims are controversial as this would imply some sense of a display of respect for the deceased and there has been no evidence of this found in other primitive tribes pre-H. sapiens.
Also, the teams working at Dinaledi in what is known as the Hill Antechamber that extends into the natural fissure corridor linking the two chambers associated with H. naledi, have found deliberate linear engravings on a pillar and many of the incisions intersect to form geometric figures such as crosses, cross-hatchings, squares and triangles etc. The background area appears to have been specifically prepared for the figures, much as the areas where the bodies have been placed also seem to have been prepared. Somewhat controversially, the researchers believe that these early artworks in the Hill Antechamber are associated with H. naledi and there is some debate about whether they could be markings indicating an area of importance such as a funereal site. If these figures are proven to have been produced by H. naledi it would imply that there are signs of the beginnings of abstract thought processes associated with this small-brained hominid, something generally believed only to have come about as brain size and capacity increased with evolution. It is also interesting to note that in Blombos Cave, in the Western Cape, South Africa similar patterns deliberately incised on ochre pieces have been found but dated somewhat more recently at 75,000 to 100,000 years old.
There is ongoing research into the rich pre-history of Africa and the data being gleaned from the H. naledi fossils shows that these intriguing beings have much to teach us about the evolution of the hominid species and possible interaction with Homo sapiens.
As Drs Hurtak have told us, The Keys of Enoch® refers to these species by the term “root races,” and they are generally believed to have died out about 100,000-200,000 years ago, with the exception of the Denisovans (25,000BP) and Neanderthals (40,000BP), with homo sapiens becoming the predominant species. None of this excludes the possibility of these other species having some semblance of awareness, burying their dead, living in families and even using symbols. These new findings exemplify the importance of understanding the earlier strata of history not just in Africa, but throughout the world.
References:
The age of Homo naledi and associated sediments in the Rising Star Cave, South Africa | eLife
Evidence for deliberate burial of the dead by Homo naledi
Hobbit’s Brain Size Holds Clues About Its Ancestor | National Geographic
World’s oldest Homo sapiens fossils found in Morocco | Science | AAAS
An abstract drawing from the 73,000-year-old levels at Blombos Cave, South Africa | Nature
Hurtak, J.J. (1973) The Book of Knowledge: The Keys of Enoch®. Los Gatos: Academy For Future Science. pp 288-289 Hurtak, J.J. (1973)]
Hurtak, J.J. (1973, 2020) The Fifth Light Picture Superscript: Thou Shall be the Family. Los Gatos: Academy For Future Science. pp 149-153 Hurtak, J.J. (1973, 2020)