At Kalambo Falls in Zambia, archaeologists unearthed two timbers deliberately notched to interlock — preserved by airless, waterlogged sediment. Dated to roughly 476,000 years old, this structure predates Homo sapiens entirely. It suggests a pre-sapiens hominin engaged in deliberate planning and woodworking. Surviving only by chance conditions, it's a stunning glimpse into deep-time cognition. 🪵🧠
Kalambo Falls Site A: 476,000-year-old notched timbers found in Zambia
ZambiaArtifact
Site mentioned
Key facts
- Located at Kalambo Falls Site A in Zambia
- Archaeologists found two timbers deliberately notched to interlock
- Preserved in waterlogged, airless sediment
- Dated to approximately 476,000 years old
- Older than the currently accepted age of Homo sapiens
- Represents deliberate planning and woodworking by a pre-sapiens hominin
- Survived purely by chance preservation 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.
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