When was mungo man born

He said the initial "handover" of the red ochre coated skeleton, the oldest human remains ever discovered in Australia, was little more than an "outing" for them. Dr Bowler, who said Britain's treatment of Richard III stood in stark contrast to Australia's indifference to the fate of Mungo Man, said his original discovery marked the convergence of a number of stories.

One was the narrative of a remarkable individual, believed to have been almost two metres tall, who was born and lived to be about 50 years of age about 42, years ago along the shores of a lake that drew now extinct mega fauna. When he died he was placed on his back with his hands on his chest and a thick coating of red ochre was sprinkled on the body. Dr Bowler said it provided evidence of an evolved sense of spiritually directly connected to that of indigenous Australians today.

It was here scientists discovered his bones dated back more than 40, years - a finding that shook the scientific world and ultimately rewrote our understanding of human history. His modern-day descendants, the Mutthi Mutthi, Ngiyampaa and Paakantji peoples ran a long campaign to have him returned to his original resting place.

Now, their decades-long fight has finally been victorious. Our reporter Nakari Thorpe travelled for three days across the south-east of Australia with Traditional Owners to capture the epic journey. The smell of burning gum leaves begin to fill the unusually warm Canberra morning air and the crowd begins to build in the small, industrial carpark on the outskirts of the capital city.

It seems unbefitting for a man whose discovery rewrote Australian history. But this is the place where cherished artefacts are held in the National Museum of Australia. The storage facility holds much of the museum's , objects, including political materials, an assortment of historical vehicles, and an extensive collection of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander items. And it's the place where the remains of Mungo Man were temporarily stored while Traditional Owners and government representatives figured out how to get him home.

After two years of deliberations, they finally made a decision - Mungo Man was heading home. But his journey back to his ancestral homelands began long before. It was 43 years ago, in , when a young geologist, Jim Bowler, was exploring the arid banks of Lake Mungo, in the south-west of New South Wales, when he came across a human skeleton. He and anthropologist Alan Thorne had uncovered the intact bones of a human male, arms folded across his chest - indicating an ancient ritual burial of a respected leader.

Believed to be around 50 years old at the time of his death, Mungo Man's remains along with those of a female called Mungo Lady, were taken to the Australian National University in Canberra. Here they discovered Mungo Man dated back 42, years - the oldest human remains ever found on the continent. To put one's mind into the minds of the community who sat there and orchestrated that ritual burial is a long learning process," Jim says. Mungo Man might have dramatically changed the world's view of human history but Indigenous archaeologist Dave Johnston says his removal to the ANU also created a major controversy.

I mean they're stealing, and they educated, very patiently over the years that you can't just do that," he said. While Traditional Owners were deeply distressed that Mungo Man was moved, they took some satisfaction knowing his existence proved what they had been saying all along.

It seemed Mungo Man had done what he needed to do and over time the calls for his return grew louder. It's so good to see so many people here today, to say goodbye to them," says Ngiyampaa Elder Joan Slade. We've worked closely with the Ngyiampaa mob and the Mutthi Mutthi mob on this, and we do have our disagreements, but coming together for something like this is very, very important to all of us," says Paakantji elder Warren Clarke.

Amazing haul of ancient humans unveiled. Image source, Getty Images. The return of the remains was welcomed with a traditional ceremony. Who was Mungo Man? Mungo Man's repatriation was completed on Friday. Distress over Aboriginal child's exhumation. Long journey home.

The remains made a three-day journey from Canberra to Mungo National Park. The geomorphological history and the numerous archaeological sites of the Willandra Lakes provide context to the limited knowledge of the lives of Mungo Lady and Mungo Man.

The ancient lakes and their associated lunettes preserve a detailed archive of the human, hydrological, and terrestrial history of the region. For long periods between 50, and 15, years BP the lakes were full, fed by a river now known as the Lachlan enlarged by run-off from the southern highlands, interspersed by periods when they were dry.

The earliest record of human presence at Lake Mungo dates from about 50, years BP indicating that humans began using the site soon after the lake refilled. Mungo Lady and Mungo Man lived during a period when the lakes were full, their interment sites being adjacent to the lake margin, a habitat convenient for the harvesting of aquatic resources.

Nearby is evidence of regular, perhaps at times intensive, human occupation, including hearths and ovens, silcrete stone tools, grindstones, and the detritus of cooked meals, including fish, crayfish, waterfowl, freshwater mussels, small mammals, and eggshells.

The range of animal remains suggests that they were taken throughout the year rather than seasonally. Thus an image emerges of a Late Pleistocene community of modern humans, of which Mungo Lady and Mungo Man were a part.

Moreover, the pattern of fireplaces and camps, and the remains and means of hunting and harvesting, together with the ritual burial of the dead, demonstrates that the ancient humans of the Willandra had a complex social and religious life.

The discovery of Mungo Lady and Mungo Man ignited a period of intensive scientific research, initially focused on the Lake Mungo lunette, later extending to the lunettes and shores of other ancient lakes in the Willandra. Many more cremated or buried skeletons were found; a total of were removed to Canberra for investigation.