The World's Oldest Culture is Not Where You'd Expect

The oldest human remains found in Australia (among the oldest found in the world) were revealed in the dried-up Lake Mungo. In 1964, the remains of Mungo Lady were discovered: a woman who lived 40-42,000 years ago and was ritually cremated by her people. Then, in 1978, a man from the same era was also unearthed – he had been ceremonially buried and covered with red ocher (clay pigment). The pair comprise the world's oldest evidence of ritual burial. In April 2022, it was controversially announced that their remains would be reburied without a commemoration and not in a publicly known place, which many elders say goes against the wishes of previous generations.

The World's Oldest Culture is Not Where You'd Expect