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Inter-group violence among early Holocene hunter-gatherers of West Turkana, Kenya.


Type

Article

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Authors

Mirazón Lahr, M 
Rivera, F 
Power, RK 
Mounier, A 
Copsey, B 

Abstract

The nature of inter-group relations among prehistoric hunter-gatherers remains disputed, with arguments in favour and against the existence of warfare before the development of sedentary societies. Here we report on a case of inter-group violence towards a group of hunter-gatherers from Nataruk, west of Lake Turkana, which during the late Pleistocene/early Holocene period extended about 30 km beyond its present-day shore. Ten of the twelve articulated skeletons found at Nataruk show evidence of having died violently at the edge of a lagoon, into which some of the bodies fell. The remains from Nataruk are unique, preserved by the particular conditions of the lagoon with no evidence of deliberate burial. They offer a rare glimpse into the life and death of past foraging people, and evidence that warfare was part of the repertoire of inter-group relations among prehistoric hunter-gatherers.

Description

Keywords

Adolescent, Adult, Archaeology, Child, Child, Preschool, Feeding Behavior, Female, Group Processes, History, Ancient, Humans, Kenya, Male, Skeleton, Skull, Violence, Wounds and Injuries

Journal Title

Nature

Conference Name

Journal ISSN

0028-0836
1476-4687

Volume Title

529

Publisher

Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Sponsorship
European Research Council (295907)
Funding was provided by a European Research Council Advanced Award to M.M.L. (IN-AFRICA, ERC 295907), the Newby Trust, and the McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research, University of Cambridge.