Scientists Discover Two 7,000-year-old Mummies Deep in the Sahara Desert

by Elim Eyobed, age 14

After a recent discovery by various scientists, archeologists and researchers, two of the world's oldest mummies were found buried deep in the Sahara desert.

Located in the Tadrart Acacus Mountains of Southwestern Libya by the middle of the Sahara lies the Takarkon rock shelter, archeologists found fifteen mummies at this location. Out of the 15, two seem to have naturally mummified.

Natural mummification is a process where a body is preserved without intentional intervention primarily due to environmental conditions, especially dryness and lack of oxygen. This phenomenon helped with the overall preservation of their DNA. Researchers used the DNA to try to determine the mummies’ origins. Their genes indicated the people likely came from sub-Saharan Africa; however, they also contained neanderthal DNA.

Such findings suggested that at some point, Sub-Saharan herders interacted with neanderthals from Eurasia. Since neanderthal DNA was limited, researchers believe the DNA was introduced by pastoral groups interacting in a cultural exchange.

Pastoralism is a livelihood system that involves raising domesticated herbivores like cattle, goats, and sheep, on natural pastures. Scientists thought that because of the migration of these “herders”, the DNA of the mummies could be linked to a pastoral group. The location of these various mummy findings are helpful in studying the movement of humans during that time.

[Source: BBC News; Live Science]