From the cemetery 5000 years ago, you can find traces of 'communities without social strata'

by Carla Klehm

When a certain degree of human being gathers to make a community, the social stratification will be formed due to the difference in wealth and abilities in the community. The disparity due to the existence of power, gender and age was also created in the society of BC. Although it may be advantageous to have a certain hierarchy in carrying out extensive collaborative work, from the joint cemetery 5000 years ago found in Kenya in East Africa, "a large scale of things without a social classification The community which carries out collaborative work "existed was discovered.

Kenya burial site shows community spirit of herders 5,000 years ago | Science | The Guardian
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2018/aug/20/kenya-burial-site-shows-community-spirit-of-herders-5000-years-ago

Located in the northwestern part of Kenya, Turkana Lake is a large habitat for waterfowls and also a place where fossils of mankinds are discovered millions of years ago, Turkana Lake National Park group including Turkana Lake is It is also registered as a World Heritage Site. Elizabeth Hildebrand, an associate professor at the State University of New York at Stony Brook , is conducting an excavation study at the Rosagam north pillar site near Turkana Lake for over 10 years.

At Rosagam Northern Pillar site there are plazas of about 30 meters in diameter indicated by megaliths, built by people of the past 4000 to 5000 years. There is a hollow in the center of the plaza, and it seems that at least 580 bodies have been gathered together and buried and used as a joint cemetery.

In the agricultural society, a large monument was built based on a common history and culture, and strengthened the unity of the community as a whole across families. By creating a larger community, people can greatly develop technology and culture, but at the same time it is also true that gaps within the community are more likely to arise.

by Katherine Grillo

However, it was not an agricultural race that made the plaza found at the Rosagam north pillar site, it was a nomad who carried out livestock while moving. Hirudaburand et al. Says that it is unusual that non-agricultural communities make communities and build large monuments themselves, but Hildebrand said, "Because of the buried body, this community has something similar to the social class There is no trace that existed. "

All of the bodies are contained in the cave in a state of being gathered closely together, and it seems that there is no case that only the body of the body seems to be a powerful person is put in the isolated place. Also, adults, children, both men and women were equally elaborated with elaborate accessories, and there was no evidence that only specific bodies were decorated with magnificence.

In East Africa including Lake Turkana, organized agriculture in Mesopotamia, Egypt, and Asia was carried out, too, livestock was the most suitable for people to get adequate food, so agricultural society developed I did not do that. Mr. Hildebrand said, "As the agricultural society develops, the social stratification has been formed, certain people gained power, increased wealth, differences in rich and poor and health conditions also appeared, Whether a similar change has appeared in the society formed by nomads is a very big mystery, "Rosagam Northern Pillar ruins say it may be a hint to solve this mystery.

by aocrane

The details of what role the plaza found in the Rosagam north pillar has played has not been found out yet, but it was not used as a place for nomads to gather and exchange information with each other It is thought that. Purchasing information on the surrounding area from other nomads belonging to the community was very important for finding what they eat and for feeding livestock.

Also, in the era when a cemetery was created and used, it is possible that nomads were confronted with the change in the environment that precipitation decreased near Turkana Lake and Lake Turkana itself became smaller . Nevertheless, since young children are carefully decorated with jewelry and are being buried, it is understood that the members of the community were cherished to the end.

I do not know exactly what has become of the nomadic community which finally made this square and the cemetery cemetery. Although the use of the cemetery came suddenly, it was unexpected, it was planned by the community. Members of the community repeatedly carried stones many times back and forth from far away, and spread them on the common graveyard to play lids. "I do not know what happened to the community since then," said Catherine Grillo , an archaeologist at the University of Florida participating in the excavation survey.

by Michael Abshear