Human rights are moral principles which set out certain standards of human behaviour.
Dr Morris Sutton, project archaeologist for the Swartkrans Paleoanthropological Research Project, believes that there is a good chance that the notion of a Bill of Rights was conceived in Swartkrans at the Cradle of Humankind Heritage Site.
At Swartkrans scientists have found evidence to support the view that fire was being used and harnessed by early man more than a million years ago.
“We know that the ability to harness and make fire was a major technological step in human development but it is very possible that knowing how to tame and use fire was of equal importance for our moral and social development,” Sutton said.
He explained that although humans have lived together for centuries, it was only in the late 17th and 18th centuries that the basic principles of ‘being human’ were formalised. The South African Bill of Rights, which is contained in our Constitution, was only documented much later in 1996.
However, Sutton believes that preserving the dignity of others dates back to evolutionary times.
He explained that a prehistoric male skeleton, exhibiting a jaw without teeth, was found, along with indications that this individual had lived for many years in this condition. This means that the only way he could have survived was if others had helped to feed him by pre-chewing his food. “This surely is early evidence of some form of social contract that speaks to preserving one of the basic human rights, the right to life and dignity,” Sutton said.
He added that following the development of language and the ability for complex planning, hominids would have been able to discuss and refine strategies for survival and were able to teach their young about the threats and opportunities of their world. While this may have initially had practical applications, with time and the harnessing of fire, more complex social implications probably developed.
Sutton said that the fireside may have provided the place to share food and experiences and perhaps aided the development of abstract thought within a community.
