Archaeologists announced on Wednesday that they had uncovered the oldest wooden structure ever found, which dates back nearly half a million years. This finding raises the possibility that our ancestors were more advanced than previously believed.
The remarkably well-preserved wooden building was discovered at Kalambo Falls, close to the Tanzanian border in northern Zambia.
It predates the evolution of Homo sapiens by at least 476,000 years, according to a study published in the journal Nature that details the discovery.
The construction, which is thought to have been a platform, walkway, or raised home to keep our ancestors above the water, is made of wood that shows cut-marks from stone tools being used to put two enormous logs together.
At the location, a variety of wooden implements, including a wedge and a digging stick, were also found.
At this period, wood was already known to have been used by early humans, albeit only sometimes for specific activities like stoking a fire or going on a hunt.
According to Larry Barham, an archaeologist at the University of Liverpool in the UK and the study’s principal author, the previous record-holder for the oldest wooden construction was thought to have been roughly 9,000 years old.
235 meters (770 feet) high waterfall, Barham claimed the building was a “chance discovery” found in 2019 while working at the site. The site is on the banks of the Kalambo River.
Findings of such old wood are uncommon since it usually rots away, leaving little to record in history.
But it is thought that the structure at Kalambo Falls has been preserved over the years due to the high water table.
