A wooden structure, dating back 476,000 years, was found at Kalambo Falls in Zambia. This discovery has dramatically changed our view of early hominin intelligence. Researchers from Aberystwyth University and the University of Liverpool discovered these timbers that fit together, representing the oldest known example of wood used in construction.
Remarkably, this structure existed more than 200,000 years before the appearance of Homo sapiens. Water-soaked clay preserved the artefacts, demonstrating advanced carpentry skills such as using stone tools to notch wood to join pieces. These findings suggest that Pleistocene ancestors were more than just wandering foragers; They had the mental ability to change their surroundings for permanent living spaces. This revelation changes what we thought about technological progress and the history of our ancestors.
The study shows that early humans had abstract thinking and the ability to design 476,000 years ago
A study in the journal Nature revealed that the wooden structure is made of tree trunks that fit together with a specially made notch. This shows that early hominins, such as Homo heidelbergensis, had the cognitive ability to create a mental model and abstract design. It challenges the long-standing belief that wood was only used to make simple tools such as digging sticks in the Middle Pleistocene.
How did scientists date the oldest wood in the world?
Scientists wanted to know the age of the find, so they used a technique called scintillation dating of the sand surrounding it, as observed at Aberystwyth University.
This way, they can tell when the minerals last saw sunlight. They discovered that the wood is about 476,000 years old. This is much older than any previously known wooden structure, compared to the previous record for a wooden structure of 9,000 to 11,000 years old.
Evidence of higher-level cognitive planning
The artefacts reveal that our ancestors used stone tools to intentionally shape objects. Researchers at the University of Liverpool found evidence that they made wooden pieces to fit together, similar to the way modern carpenters work.
This discovery changes the archaeological perspective from focusing primarily on stone tools to recognizing an important “Wooden Age.” This means that species that existed before Homo sapiens had advanced cognitive and physical skills.
Why didn’t the wood rot at Kalambo Falls?
The well-preserved condition of these wooden artefacts is due to the special submerged environment of Kalambo Falls. Because oxygen couldn’t reach them, the wood survived for about 500,000 years. Located near a high waterfall on the border between Zambia and Tanzania, this site holds an extensive record of human history from the Stone Age to the Iron Age.
