The oldest known cremation pyre in Africa is shedding light on the complex funeral rites of ancient hunter-gatherers 9,500 years ago.

Ancient DNA from southern Africa is rewriting the story of our species, revealing that some early humans in this region lived in deep isolation for roughly 100,000 years and evolved genetic patterns ...

You have probably seen the images of the surface of Mars, beamed back by NASA's rovers. What if there were a time machine ...

The Moroccan fossils now provide tangible evidence from this mysterious transitional period. What makes these fossils particularly significant is the precision with which they can be dated. The ...

The magic of myths -- Meet the ancient Africans -- One continent, many worlds -- The cradle of humanity -- Gods and spirits -- In touch with the spirit world -- Timeless tales of ancient Africa -- A ...

Africa has long been known as the cradle of humanity. Fossils, tools and genetics all point there. Yet the deeper story of how the first modern humans lived, moved and mixed has stayed blurry. Too ...

New chemical analysis of quartz microliths from South Africa confirms that humans were skilled with poison long ago.

Every so often, a pandemic emerges that dramatically alters human society. The Black Death (1347 - 1351) was one; the Spanish flu of 1918 was another. Now there’s COVID-19. Archaeologists have long ...

This image is part of a weekly series that The Root is presenting in conjunction with the Image of the Black in Western Art Archive at Harvard University’s W.E.B. Du Bois Research Institute, part of ...