Half a million years back, much earlier than it was previously believed possible, a human species was using wood to build structures, according to a new study. The research reports on the dig of well-preserved wood at the archaeological site of Kalambo Falls in Zambia, dating back a minimum of 476,000 years and predating the development of Homo sapiens.
Image credits: Larry Barham, University of Liverpool
The researchers stated stone tool cut marks on the wood show that early people shaped and joined two logs to make a structure, likely the foundation of a platform. This is the earliest evidence of the intentional crafting of logs to mesh, as proof for the human usage of wood had actually been limited to its use for making fire, spears and sticks.
” This discover has actually altered how I think of our early forefathers. Forget the label Stone Age, look at what these people were doing: they made something brand-new, and big, from wood They used their intelligence, imagination, and skills to produce something they d never seen before,” Larry Barham, among the study authors, said in a press release.
Wood is rarely discovered at ancient websites as it generally disappears and decays. At Kalambo, these human beings would have had a long lasting source of water and enough food to settle down and construct permanent structures.
This approach permits researchers to go much even more back in time and offers “a peek into human advancement,” Geoff Duller, among the study authors, said in a press release. Utilizing luminescence dating, Duller found that the structure was 476,000 years old. They likewise dated 4 wooden tools found in the area (such as a wedge) at 324,000 years old.
The wood found in Zambia was too informed to be straight dated utilizing radiocarbon techniques. Instead, the scientists at the University of Liverpool and Aberystwyth University used a strategy called luminescence dating, which uses the last time minerals in the sand near the finds were exposed to sunlight to identify their age.
Ancient, strange wood.
Image credits: Larry Barham, University of Liverpool
The research study was published in the journal Nature.
Wood is seldom found at ancient sites as it normally vanishes and decays. They used their intelligence, creativity, and skills to create something they d never seen before,” Larry Barham, one of the research study authors, said in a news release.
“Our research proves that this website is much older than formerly thought, so its historical significance is now even higher. It includes more weight to the argument that it should be a United Nations World Heritage Site,” Duller said in a news declaration, wishing to continue making discoveries in the location in the coming years.
The earliest fossils of Homo sapiens discovered so far date from around 300,000 years back and were found in Israel, Dull told CNN.
The scientists do not know which ancient human species made the structure and the tools, however its unlikely to have been Homo sapiens. The earliest fossils of Homo sapiens discovered so far date from around 300,000 years ago and were found in Israel, Dull informed CNN. He thinks the individuals who made the structure were cognitively sophisticated and it would be very exciting to figure out who built this.
Kalambo Falls is located on the Kalambo River, above a 235-meter waterfall on the border between Zambia and the Rukwa Region of Tanzania, at the edge of Lake Tanganyik. The area is a prospect to end up being a World Heritage Site from UNESCO for its archaeological significance. It was very first excavated in 1960 by Prof. John Clark.
Utilizing luminescence dating, Duller found that the structure was 476,000 years old. They also dated 4 wooden tools found in the location (such as a wedge) at 324,000 years old.