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How far back does our species date? The exact answer has never been certain, of course, but a new study coming out of the scientific journal Nature may give us some insight we never had before.
The study suggests that a piece of wood found at the Kalambo Falls site in Zambia, believed to be 476,000 years old, may be one of the earliest artifacts made by human ancestors who predate Homo sapiens. This could mean that humans have been manipulating their environment way before we came onto the scene.
An ancient wooden structure found at Kalambo Falls, Zambia—dated to about 476,000 years ago—may represent the earliest use of wood in construction, according to a paper in @Nature. https://t.co/dj5QJvaXum pic.twitter.com/Z6ArRQVU4D
— Nature Portfolio (@NaturePortfolio) September 20, 2023
The study reveals evidence of cut marks on the wood, most likely produced by stone tools which suggest that two logs had been joined together to form a structure – thought to be a platform or foundation.
This is remarkable as it has long been assumed that humans didn’t really start building significant structures until after the Younger Dryas mini ice-age ended around 11,000 years ago.
This discovery is an exciting indication that species of humans from far back in our history were capable of building and manipulating their environment with more complexity than previously thought.
It also brings up questions about whether these past species reached peak civilization before they were wiped out by natural catastrophes over 500,000 years ago.
If this is true, then there could be ruins from huge thriving communities hidden in plain sight all around us – waiting to be discovered.
Furthermore, this finding adds to what is becoming increasingly clear: there appears to have been a globalized civilization prior to what mainstream archaeology tells us about our own story as humans.
Although we may never know exactly how advanced previous human civilizations were due to lack of evidence left behind over time, this discovery offers insight into understanding our ancient past and raises intriguing questions about where we come from and how far back human innovation goes.
