A team of researchers from the University of Liverpool and Aberystwyth University has discovered that humans were building wooden structures half a million years ago, substantially earlier than previously thought - and probably even before Homo Sapiens evolved.
The researchers discovered remnants of what is thought to be the world’s oldest known wooden structure, an arrangement of logs on the bank of a river bordering Zambia and Tanzania that predates the rise of modern humans. The simple structure, made by shaping two logs with sharp stone tools, may have formed part of a walkway or platform for human ancestors who lived along the Kalambo River nearly 500,000 years ago.
Marks on the logs show they were cut, chopped and scraped with an array of stone tools found at the site. The findings, published in the journal Nature, explain that the researchers examined the cut marks on the wood made by stone tools and found that these ancient humans had shaped and joined two large logs to form a structure. The structure could have been the base of a platform or a part of a dwelling, says Interesting Engineering.
This is the oldest evidence in the world of humans intentionally crafting logs to fit together. Before this discovery, the only known use of wood by humans was for making fire and digging sticks and spears.
Wooden artifacts rarely survive from the Early Paleolithic as they require exceptional conditions for preservation, says Science News. However, at Kalambo Falls, the high water levels preserved the wood.
“Our find has changed how I think about our early ancestors,” said University of Liverpool’s Professor Larry Barham. “Forget the label ‘Stone Age,’ look at what these people were doing: they made something new, and large, from wood.”
“They used their intelligence, imagination, and skills to create something they’d never seen before, something that had never previously existed. “They transformed their surroundings to make life easier, even if it was only by making a platform to sit on by the river to do their daily chores. These folks were more like us than we thought.”
This discovery challenges the standard view that Stone Age humans were wanderers. At Kalambo Falls, these humans had a steady source of water and food from the forest. They could settle down and build structures. The structure may be the work of Homo heidelbergensis, a predecessor of modern humans that lived in the region, reports The Guardian.