Ancient humans were constructing large wooden structures, potentially houses, almost 476,000 years ago, according to a recent discovery. This finding, which represents the earliest evidence of wooden construction, challenges the notion that ancient communities were purely nomadic.
Researchers from the University of Liverpool, UK, including Larry Barham, made this groundbreaking discovery at the Kalambo Falls archaeological site in Zambia. During their excavation in 2019, they found a wooden tool, believed to be a digging stick, as well as a 1.4-meter-long log. The log had been modified with tools, including a deep notch, suggesting that it was part of a larger wooden structure.
The artefacts were dated to approximately 476,000 years ago using a technique called post-infrared infrared stimulated luminescence. This means that the wooden structure was built by an earlier human species, possibly Homo heidelbergensis, predating our own species.
While evidence of ancient humans’ use of wood has been found before, such as 300,000-year-old wooden spears in Germany, the Kalambo Falls discovery indicates a different behavior. It suggests that some early humans were settling in one place and actively enhancing their environment, rather than constantly being on the move.
The ability to modify the environment, known as niche construction, is not unique to humans. However, the techniques used by early humans at Kalambo Falls were more sophisticated than those observed in other species. This involved making sharp-edged stone tools to cut through wood, as well as group collaboration to transport and modify the wood for construction.
Although the exact function of the wooden structure is uncertain, it could have been a dwelling or a raised walkway to navigate the wet floodplain. Manuel Domínguez-Rodrigo, a researcher at Rice University, suggests caution in drawing conclusions from just two pieces of wood.
Nonetheless, this discovery sheds light on the significance of wood in ancient human societies and challenges the perception of the Stone Age as predominantly focused on stone tools. The findings prompt a reconsideration of the importance of wood in shaping human history.
Journal references: Nature DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-06557-9 and DOI: 10.1038/d41586-023-02858-1
Topics:
- archaeology/
- ancient humans
