The humans that lived almost 500,000 years ago were much more sophisticated craftsmen than previously thought.
A remarkable discovery in Zambia has revealed the oldest known wooden structure in the world. The find, made from the logs of a large-fruited willow tree, dates back to 476,000 years ago, long before the emergence of modern humans. It challenges the conventional view of our ancient ancestors as nomadic hunters and gatherers, and suggests that they had more advanced cognitive and technological skills than previously thought.
The structure was unearthed by a team of archaeologists from the University of Liverpool, the University of Aberystwyth, and the Livingstone Museum, who were working near the Kalambo Falls, a spectacular waterfall on the border between Zambia and Tanzania and published their findings in Nature. The site is one of the most important archaeological locations in Africa, with evidence of human occupation spanning over 300,000 years.
The wooden structure consists of two logs that were intentionally shaped with stone tools to create stable joints. The logs were found at right angles to each other, suggesting they were part of a larger framework that could have supported a walkway, a platform, or a hut. The structure was preserved in waterlogged clay and sand, which prevented it from rotting away over time.
“This find has changed how I think about our early ancestors,” said Professor Larry Barham, the lead archaeologist of the project. “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.”
The structure is older than any other known wooden artifact or building in the world. The previous record holder was a 9,000-year-old wooden well found in the Czech Republic. The oldest wooden tool is a 780,000-year-old plank fragment from Israel, but it was not intentionally shaped or joined.
The researchers used luminescence dating to determine the age of the structure. This technique measures the amount of natural radioactivity that accumulates in grains of rock over time. By heating up the grains and analyzing the light they emit, the scientists can estimate when they were last exposed to sunlight.
The age of the structure implies that it was made by an ancient human species that lived before Homo sapiens, such as Homo heidelbergensis or Homo erectus. These species are often considered to be less intelligent and more primitive than modern humans, but the structure shows that they had sophisticated woodworking skills and planning abilities.
“Use of wood in this way suggests the cognitive ability to these early humans was greater than we have believed based on stone tools alone,” said Professor Barham.
The researchers also found several wooden tools at the site, such as digging sticks and spears. These tools indicate that the ancient humans exploited wood for various purposes, not just for making fire. Wood is a versatile and renewable material that offers many advantages over stone, such as flexibility, lightness, and strength.
The structure also suggests that the ancient humans stayed at the site for extended periods of time, rather than moving around constantly as nomads. A wooden structure would have required considerable effort and investment to build and maintain, implying that the site was important for them.
“A platform could have multiple purposes including storage of firewood, tools, food and as a foundation on which to place a hut,” said Professor Barham. “Not only did the working of trees require considerable skill, the right tools and planning, the effort involved suggests that the makers were staying in the location for extended periods whereas we have always had a model of Stone Age people as nomadic.”
The discovery could transform our understanding of how ancient humans lived and evolved in Africa. It also highlights the importance of preserving and studying wooden artifacts, which are often overlooked or destroyed by natural processes or human activities.
“I was amazed to know that woodworking was such a deep-rooted tradition,” said Perrice Nkombwe, from the Livingstone Museum. “It dawned on me that we had uncovered something extraordinary.”