1. Inter-group violence among early Holocene hunter-gatherers of West Turkana, Kenya
- Author
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Lahr, M. Mirazon, Rivera, F., Power, R.K., Mounier, A., Copsey, B., Crivellaro, F., Edung, J.E., Fernandez, J.M. Maillo, Kiarie, C., Lawrence, J., Leakey, A., Mbua, E., Miller, H., Muigai, A., Mukhongo, D.M., Van Baelen, A., Wood, R., Schwenninger, J.-L., Gran, R., Achyuthan, H., Wilshaw, A., and Foley, R.A.
- Subjects
Prehistoric peoples -- Behavior ,Hunting and gathering societies -- Behavior ,Violence -- Research ,Social science research ,Environmental issues ,Science and technology ,Zoology and wildlife conservation - 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 (1,2). 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 (3). 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., The origins of war are controversial. Although it is clear that intergroup violence, including intentional lethal attacks on individuals, is part of the behavioural repertoire of chimpanzees (4,5), evolutionary explanations [...]
- Published
- 2016