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In a groundbreaking discovery, archaeologists in Zambia have uncovered ancient wooden logs that are reshaping our understanding of early human life.

The recent findings suggest that stone-age people may have built structures, potentially serving as shelters, nearly half a million years ago.

The excavation and analysis of the ancient timber were conducted as part of the Deep Roots of Humanity research project led by archaeologist Prof Larry Barham from the University of Liverpool. Barham believes that the new discovery could overturn the prevailing belief that ancient humans led relatively simple, nomadic lives.

“This find has changed how I think about our early ancestors. They made something new, and large, from wood, using their intelligence, imagination, and skills to create something they’d never seen before, something that had never previously existed.”

The researchers also unearthed ancient wooden tools, including digging sticks. But what truly intrigued the on-site archeologists were two pieces of wood found arranged at right angles to each other, both featuring notches cut into them. These notches appeared to have been shaped by stone tools, allowing the logs to fit together, serving as structural elements.

Further analysis confirmed that these logs dated back approximately 476,000 years, making them an extraordinary testament to early human craftsmanship. Perrice Nkombwe, a member of the research team from the Livingstone Museum in Zambia, expressed amazement at the deep-rooted tradition of woodworking revealed by this find.

Until now, evidence of human wood use has been primarily associated with making fire and crafting tools like digging sticks and spears. One of the oldest wooden discoveries was a 400,000-year-old spear found in Clacton-on-Sea, Essex, in 1911. Wood, unless preserved under specific conditions, typically decays over time.

In this particular case, the logs were exceptionally well-preserved due to being waterlogged and essentially ‘pickled’ over millennia in the riverbanks near the Kalambo Falls, close to the Zambia-Tanzania border. Luminescence dating was employed to determine their age by measuring the radioactivity absorbed by grains of rock over time.

While it remains unclear whether this structure was part of a hut, a shelter, or something else entirely, it sheds light on early human capabilities and adaptations.

That being said, the species of ancient humans or hominids responsible for building this structure remains a mystery, as no bones have been discovered at the site (yet).

It’s mind-boggling to think that the age of these pieces of timber precede the earliest known modern human fossils by nearly 160,000 years.

Prof Geoff Duller from the University of Aberystwyth suggested that, “It could have been Homo sapiens, and we just haven’t discovered fossils from that age yet. But it could be a different species – Homo erectus or Homo naledi – there were a number of hominid species around at that time in southern Africa.”

The ancient wooden artefacts are currently being transported to the UK for analysis and preservation, but will soon return to Zambia to be displayed.

We await with anticipation to hear more about this amazing discovery, and to find out exactly who the OG humans were who were building with these groundbreaking logs.

[source:bbc]