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Did Homo naledi make the cross-hatched marks on the walls of the Hill Antechamber?

Asked 26 Oct 2026 by ·Part of Were the Hill Antechamber and Dinaledi features bodies placed in dug pits and deliberately covered?·4 answers·0·0 following
Four answers, none aheadNone is ahead yet. See what would settle it.

Where it stands

Four answers have been proposed. None is ahead on the evidence yet. Four are still possible.

Why it matters

The marks were offered as part of the same pattern of symbolic behaviour as the burials, and their status affects how readily the burial claim is accepted⁠[1]. eLife rates the report incomplete on origin, age and author⁠[2].

Answers 4

H. naledi engraved the marks.
Tested, but the results don't decide it
Evidence: 1 for, 1 against
Disputed
None of these.
Not tested enough to call either way
Evidence: none yet
Still possible
The marks are natural or made by animals.
Not tested enough to call either way
Evidence: 1 for
Still possible
The marks were made later by Homo sapiens.
Not tested enough to call either way
Evidence: none yet
Still possible

History

  1. Martinón-Torres et al. puts forward: the marks are natural or made by animals.
  2. Martinón-Torres et al.: critics note weathering and claws can produce similar marks and call for detailed analysis.For: The marks are natural or made by animals.
  3. Berger et al. puts forward: h. naledi engraved the marks.
  4. Berger et al.: the marks have not been dated and their anthropogenic origin is not shown.Against: H. naledi engraved the marks.
  5. Berger et al.: the marks sit in the chamber with H. naledi remains and no other hominin is known there.For: H. naledi engraved the marks.
  6. Asked on this site
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