[ti:A Child's Burial 78,000 Years Ago Found in Kenya] [by:www.51voa.com] [00:00.00]更多听力请访问51VOA.COM [00:00.04]It is a place of sadness: a child perhaps 2-1/2 or 3 years old [00:07.68]buried under the overhang of a cave, [00:11.48]the upper part of the body once carefully wrapped in a cloth. [00:16.44]Scientists said last week [00:19.80]they have found the oldest-known human burial in Africa, [00:24.92]the continent that gave rise to our species. [00:28.84]The area dates to about 78,000 years ago [00:34.56]at a cave called Panga ya Saidi near the Kenyan coast. [00:40.76]Scientists called the child 'Mtoto,' which means 'child' in Swahili. [00:47.64]The discovery explains some of the development [00:51.48]of early social behaviors in human species, [00:55.24]known as Homo sapiens, researchers say. [00:58.92]María Martinón-Torres [01:02.04]is the director of the National Research Center [01:05.28]on Human Evolution (CENIEH) in Spain. [01:10.36]She is also the lead author [01:13.24]of the study published in the publication Nature. [01:18.00]Martinón-Torres said the child was buried near where he lived. [01:24.00]She added, "Only humans treat the dead with the same respect, [01:29.44]consideration and even tenderness they treat the living. [01:34.76]Even when we die, we continue to be someone for our group." [01:40.80]Human species first appeared in Africa [01:44.36]more than 300,000 years ago, later spreading worldwide. [01:50.60]The remains of the bones were found in a round hole. [01:55.00]They were secured in plaster [01:57.56]and later taken to the research center for study. [02:01.88]The researchers believe that the child was placed [02:05.20]in the grave with his knees upward, lying on his side. [02:09.56]It is not yet known if the child is a male or female. [02:14.96]The body was fresh when it was buried, [02:17.64]then quickly covered with dirt from the floor of the cave. [02:22.04]"This would likely have been a group act, [02:25.40]perhaps by members of the child's family. [02:28.84]All of these behaviors are, of course, [02:32.28]very similar to those observed in our own species today, [02:37.12]so we can relate to this act [02:39.64]even though the burial dates to 78,000 years ago," [02:45.20]said study co-author Nicole Boivin. [02:49.52]She is an archaeologist and director [02:52.76]at the Max Planck Institute [02:54.96]for the Science of Human History in Germany. [02:58.60]The researchers wondered about the special meaning of a child's burial. [03:04.44]It is unclear when funereal behavior began, [03:09.12]but both Homo sapiens and its closely related species, [03:13.72]Neanderthal, practiced it. [03:16.96]Martinón-Torres called it "a type of behavior [03:21.20]that allow us to maintain links with those who died [03:25.44]and offer a farewell." [03:28.52]The oldest Neanderthal burial area, in Israel, [03:32.80]dates to about 120,000 years ago, [03:37.52]similar in age to the oldest-known Homo sapiens burials, [03:42.48]also in Israel, Boivin said. [03:45.92]The researchers said it is unclear whether funereal behavior [03:51.08]began outside Africa and was later practiced in Africa [03:56.12]or began in Africa. [03:58.56]There is not enough archeological evidence to know. [04:04.00]Mtoto was part of a hunter-gatherer culture. [04:08.16]Animal remains were also found in the area, set in a forest. [04:13.76]Stone tools were also found, [04:16.32]including pointed stones for weapons. [04:20.20]"So, we have a picture of what life was like [04:23.76]at the time of Mtoto's life and death," Boivin said. [04:29.32]I'm Susan Shand. 更多听力请访问51VOA.COM