Wood Structure Predates Humans by Almost 175K Years Found
When I First Saw It, I Thought This Can't Be Real
Archaeologists have unearthed what is believed to be the world’s oldest wooden structure, suggesting that woodworking predates our species by at least 175,000 years.
A research team made this remarkable discovery near Zambia’s Kalambo Falls, an area renowned for yielding wooden artifacts and stone tools.
Employing luminescence dating, a method used to determine the last exposure of sediments to sunlight or heat, archaeologists established that a cut log and a tapered piece of wood were 324,000 years old, a digging stick dated back 390,000 years, and a wedge along with two interlocking logs were an astounding 476,000 years old, as reported by Live Science.
Archaeologists also uncovered evidence indicating that stone tools were used to fashion a U-shaped notch, enabling one log to rest atop the other at a 75-degree angle. “When I first saw it, I thought this can’t be real,” remarked Larry Barham, a University of Liverpool archaeologist and the lead author of a study published in Nature. The researchers emphasized that there are “no known parallels in the African or Eurasian Palaeolithic,” which encompasses a timeframe spanning millions of years up to approximately 12,000 years ago.
According to the study, the world’s oldest wooden structure likely served as “a raised platform, walkway, or foundation for dwellings” in a periodically inundated floodplain. Such a construction might be expected of Homo sapiens, but the emergence of our species occurred only 300,000 years ago. Nearly 500,000 years ago, the region was inhabited by Homo heidelbergensis.
Previously, it was thought that these early humans were nomadic foragers with limited technological abilities. However, Barham noted that “the wood and the stone suggest a high level of ingenuity, technological skill, and planning.” Annemieke Milks, an archaeologist at the University of Reading not involved in the study, added that “the rarity of wood preservation implies that such behaviors were more widespread than what we witness in the archaeological record.”
Researchers were equally intrigued by other wooden artifacts. A split branch with a notch could have functioned as part of a trap, while a log cut at both ends might have served as a work surface. Barham is actively working to have Kalambo Falls designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site, given its historical significance.
