At Kalambo Falls in Zambia, archaeologists recovered two interlocking timbers — one deliberately notched — from waterlogged, oxygen-poor sediment. The associated Acheulean horizon is dated to at least 476,000 years ago, predating Homo sapiens. The find demonstrates planned woodworking by an ancient hominin. Its survival depended on unusual preservation conditions. 🪵🧠
Kalambo Falls: notched timber structure at least 476,000 years old in Zambia
ZambiaArtifact
Site mentioned
Key facts
- The find is at Kalambo Falls Site A in Zambia
- Two interlocking timbers were recovered; one bears a deliberate notch
- The timbers were preserved in waterlogged, oxygen-poor sediment
- The associated Acheulean horizon is dated to at least 476,000 years ago
- The structure predates the accepted emergence of Homo sapiens
- It demonstrates planned woodworking by an ancient hominin
- Its survival depended on the site's preserving burial conditions
Sources
Evidence for the earliest structural use of wood at least ...nature.com
by L Barham · 2023 · Cited by 144 — At Kalambo Falls, wood was recovered from Acheulean horizons in the 1950s–1960s (sites A and B), but taphonomic processes removed evidence of ...
Kalambo structureen.wikipedia.org
The Kalambo structure is a Lower Palaeolithic wooden structure, of which two pieces have been uncovered along with other wooden tools.
Scientists Just Found the Oldest Known Wooden Structure ...popularmechanics.com
At Kalambo Falls in Zambia, archaeologists have excavated two interlocking logs deliberately shaped with tools by early humans. At least 476,000 ...
Half-million-year-old wooden structure unearthed in Zambiabbc.com
Ancient timber preserved in a riverbed suggests humans were building wooden structures 500000 years ago.
Archaeologists unearth oldest known wooden structure in ...cnn.com
Researchers have unearthed the oldest known wooden structure in Zambia, and it's almost half a million years old, according to a new study.
Half-million-year-old 'Lincoln Logs' may be first wood ...science.org
Half-million-year-old 'Lincoln Logs' may be first wood structure made by ancient humans · Interlocking timber unearthed in Zambia may have been ...
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