Latest news with #OldStoneAge
Yahoo
04-07-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Oldest wooden tools unearthed in East Asia show that ancient humans made planned trips to dig up edible plants
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Archaeologists have discovered 35 wooden tools from the Old Stone Age in China which they say show impressive craftsmanship, advanced cognitive skills and offer new insights into what ancient humans might have eaten. The 300,000-year-old tools are the oldest wooden artifacts ever documented in East Asia, according to a study published Thursday (July 3) in the journal Science. They include digging sticks made of pine and hardwood, hooks for cutting roots and small, pointed implements for extracting edible plants from the ground. "This discovery is exceptional because it preserves a moment in time when early humans were using sophisticated wooden tools to harvest underground food resources," study lead author Bo Li, a professor in the School of Earth, Atmospheric and Life Sciences at the University of Wollongong Australia, said in a statement. The tools date to the early Paleolithic period, also known as the Old Stone Age (3.3 million to 300,000 years ago). Wooden artifacts from this time are extremely rare due to organic decomposition, and only a handful of archaeological sites have yielded similar objects, according to the new study. But most of these objects, including spears from Schöningen in Germany, were designed for hunting — these newfound tools were made for digging. Researchers found the tools buried in oxygen-poor clay sediments on the shores of an ancient lake in Gantangqing, an archaeological site in southwestern China's Yunnan province. The sediments preserved deliberate polishing and scraping marks on the tools, as well as plant and soil remains on some of the edges that gave researchers clues about the tools' function. Related: Pfyn culture flint tool: World's oldest known 'Swiss Army' knife "Our results suggest that hominins at Gantangqing made strategic utilization of lakeshore food resources," the researchers wrote in the study. "They made planned visits to the lakeshore and brought with them fabricated tools of selected wood for exploiting underground tubers, rhizomes, or corms." Such planned visits show that 300,000 years ago, human ancestors in East Asia were crafting and using tools for specific purposes, demonstrating considerable foresight and intention, the researchers wrote. The artifacts also suggest that these early humans had a good understanding of which plants and parts of plants were edible, the researchers noted. "The tools show a level of planning and craftsmanship that challenges the notion that East Asian hominins were technologically conservative," Li said in the statement. This idea is rooted in previous discoveries in East Asia of stone tools that seemed "primitive" in comparison to tools found in western Eurasia and Africa, according to the study. RELATED STORIES —Was it a stone tool or just a rock? An archaeologist explains how scientists can tell the difference —1.5 million-year-old bone tools crafted by human ancestors in Tanzania are oldest of their kind —150,000-year-old stone tools reveal humans lived in tropical rainforests much earlier than thought The researchers dated the tools using a technique developed by Li that uses infrared luminescence and another method called electron spin resonance, which measures a material's age through the number of electrons trapped inside its crystal defects due to exposure to natural radiation. Both produced estimates indicating that the wooden tools were between 250,000 and 361,000 years old. The plant remains on the tools have not been identified because their decomposition is too advanced, but other plant remains at Gantangqing indicate that early humans there ate berries, pine nuts, hazelnuts, kiwi fruit and aquatic tubers, according to the study. "The discovery challenges previous assumptions about early human adaptation," Li said in the statement. "While contemporary European sites (like Schöningen in Germany) focused on hunting large mammals, Gantangqing reveals a unique plant-based survival strategy."
The Print
30-06-2025
- Science
- The Print
Early Harappan burial discovery is changing how we understand Gujarat's past
Gujarat's archaeological record shows that its history is long and non-linear. In this land, occupying the northeastern corner of western India, hunter-gatherers co-existed with agro-pastoralists and early copper users long before the rise and fall of Harappan culture. Against this background, the recent excavation at Lakhapar is significant not merely for the age of the findings, but for the evidence it offers about life, landscape, and cultural evolution. The truth is that the chronology of Gujarat's ancient past is not a recent revelation. It is well-established in academia that prior to the rise of Harappan port towns and cities, indigenous societies had adapted to their environments and established their own cultural milieu. In the last month, much of the media coverage around archaeological research in Gujarat has focused on dates. Various reports have announced the unearthing of 5,300–5,000-year-old settlements in Kutch by the University of Kerala. The emphasis, however, has been on the numbers rather than the archaeological depth of the research. In this flurry of numbers, we have ignored the actual significance of these excavations and the decades of scholarship and fieldwork they are built upon. These are not mere discoveries that revise timelines but ones that deepen our understanding. That is what deserves our attention. The real insight lies not in the numbers, but in the evidence brought to light by archaeologists. Also read: Hunter-gatherers of Gujarat shared timeline with Harappans. History isn't linear Gujarat's archaeological past Gujarat is a region where the Kathiawad (Saurashtra) peninsula resembles 'a caricatured head bending down the coastal plain, with its slender body supported by the Malwa plateau and Satpura Range.' This geographically diverse terrain has fostered a rich and complex archaeological landscape shaped by a long, complex trajectory of human occupation. Since prehistoric times, early humans have inhabited this region, as evidenced by research undertaken by many scholars. Palaeolithic (Old Stone Age) imprints are marked by stone tools found along ancient rivers such as the Mahi and Sabarmati. As the region transitioned to the New Stone Age, sites like Langhnaj in north Gujarat offered a rare glimpse of Mesolithic foragers. Their geometric microlithic tools and evidence of hunting-gathering, combined with domestication and burial practices, signal a significant juncture in the adaptive history of western India. This gradual transition towards domestication and sedentary life, evident by the 4th millennium BCE at sites like Prabhas Patan in Saurashtra, Padri near Somnath, and Loteshwar in north Gujarat. These sites reveal the rise of early agro-pastoralism, onset of metal (copper) use, distinctive regional ceramics, and continued microlith use. Sites such as Loteshwar and Rangpur are especially significant for showing a continuous cultural sequence from the Mesolithic to the Chalcolithic period. By the 3rd millennium BCE, Gujarat saw the rise of urban Harappan centres, but with regional adaptations. Across Saurashtra and Kutch, the Sorath Harappan tradition was predominant. Sites like Lothal, Bagasra, and Dholavira developed as regional trade hubs specialising in crafts and maritime trade. Yet even as these urban centres rose, older lifeways persisted. Around 1900 BCE, when deurbanisation started, Gujarat saw the rise of regional centres and Late Harappan sites. Such layered, nuanced history of continuity and change reveals a landscape of non-linear progression and co-existence. It requires us to look beyond mere dates. This is where the excavation at Lakhapar matters — it highlights not just the stratigraphy but adds a previously unexcavated layer to the archaeological landscape of Gujarat's early history. Also read: India's archaeological site museums need major makeover. Vadnagar must set an example Excavation at Lakhapar The archaeological site at Lakhapar village in Kutch was identified in 2022 with the help of Narayanbhai Jajani, former sarpanch of Lakhapar, and later excavated by Abhayan GS and Rajesh SV of the Department of Archaeology, University of Kerala. The site was identified as Early Harappan (c. 3300-2600 BCE), and the excavation builds upon earlier work at the nearby Early Harappan cemetery at Juna Khatiya, excavated in 2019, 2020, and 2022 by the same team. The Juna Khatiya excavation yielded around 197 burials. When combined with the findings at Lakhapar, they reinforce the idea of a broader network of interconnected Early Harappan settlements in this region. Excavators unearthed large stone structures, a human burial, and a plethora of pottery and artefacts. These structures, built using local sandstone and shale, indicate organised construction and systematic planning. According to the archaeologists, the most significant discovery is the presence of pre-Prabhas pottery, named after the type-site Prabhas Patan in Saurashtra and also found at Datrana and Janan. This rare ceramic type, characterised by specific forms and fabrics, suggests interaction with regional Chalcolithic communities that co-existed in the region. The human burial at Lakhapar, found within the habitation area, also included a pre-Prabhas pottery assemblage. Abhayan and Rajesh noted a considerable difference between this burial and those at Juna Khatiya: it lacked burial architecture or surface markers and was placed directly into a pit. This makes it the first burial in Gujarat with pre-Prabhas, Chalcolithic pottery linked to an Early Harappan site. Furthermore, a large portion of the habitation layers closely resembles Early Harappan Sindh-type settlements, as also seen at Juna Khatiya. Such findings indicate cultural interactions, not only with co-existing early Chalcolithic groups, but also with Early Harappan cultures of Sindh, dated to around 3300 BCE, or roughly 5300 years ago. Also read: How Gujarat spread Buddhism—Devnimori dig gives us a mahastupa, inscribed casket, coins Cultural crossroads A few years ago, Ajit Prasad of MSU Baroda excavated another Early Harappan burial site at Dhaneti in Kutch. It revealed multiple burials with grave goods and pottery — an important find, as distinct Early Harappan cemeteries are rare. Most Harappan burial data comes from the Classical or Mature Harappan phase. Therefore, sites like Dhaneti offer great insight into this early period before the onset of urbanism. When Juna Khatiya and Lakhapar were being excavated, archaeologists expected to find similar antiquity. However, the evidence featuring an Early Harappan cemetery, habitation, and its cultural interaction with Chalcolithic groups was an even rarer find. What distinguishes them from other Early Harappan sites like Dhaneti is not the number of burials or their age, but their potential to reshape our understanding of how regional communities co-existed, interacted, and may have participated in the rise of the Indian Subcontinent's first urban civilisation. Disha Ahluwalia is an archaeologist and junior research fellow at the Indian Council Of Historical Research. She tweets @ahluwaliadisha. Views are personal. (Edited by Prashant)
Rudaw Net
18-05-2025
- Science
- Rudaw Net
Stone Age footprints discovered in Soran
Also in Kurdistan Kurdistan Region governors to visit Sanandaj for economy talks Duhok mother dies after alleged blood transfusion error PM Barzani arrives in Washington for energy talks Solar power on the rise in Sulaimani with private users, new plant A+ A- ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Human footprints dating back to the Stone Age have been discovered in the Soran district of Erbil province, a local expert said on Friday. 'We have discovered several archaeological remains dating back to the late Old Stone Age and the beginning of the Middle Stone Age,' Abdulwahab Sulaiman, head of the Soran independent administration's archaeological department, told Rudaw. The archaeological layers, according to Sulaiman, had been lost for over half a century after being first discovered by foreign archaeologists in 1951. 'After that, no other traces were found until we discovered these layers at the foot of Plngan Mountain, and they are the footprints of humans from that era,' he said. A five-year contract signed with the Autonomous University of Barcelona has resulted in the discovery of 'several important archaeological sites,' Sulaiman said. Approximately 1,200 archaeological sites are registered in the Soran Independent Administration, according to statistics provided by Sulaiman. The Kurdistan Region is home to a wealth of archaeological sites, ancient cities, and religious landmarks that bear witness to thousands of years of continued civilization. These include remnants from the Sumerian and Assyrian eras as well as Neanderthals.
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
'Hugely Significant' Stone Circles in Scotland Suggest Early Human Arrival
Recently discovered stone tools and circular structures on the Isle of Skye suggest humans from the Old Stone Age traveled all the way to the frigid northwest edge of Scotland. This boundary-pushing endeavor took early humans in northern Europe to the "far end of everything", according to a new paper from an international team of archaeologists. "This is a hugely significant discovery which offers a new perspective on the earliest human occupation yet known, of north-west Scotland," says lead author and archaeologist Karen Hardy from the University of Glasgow. "The journey made by these pioneering people who left their lowland territories in mainland Europe to travel northwards into the unknown is the ultimate adventure story." Until recently, there hadn't been any clear evidence of a human population in Scotland before the Holocene, the current geological epoch that began about 11,700 years ago. Even when earlier artifacts began to pop up, it was assumed that the inhospitable climate would have only allowed for visiting humans, not a sustained population. But the new study suggests humans arrived – and settled – earlier than we give them credit for. Hardy and colleagues have based their conclusions on a collection of stone tools and circle structures found on the Isle of Skye in the last eight years. Unfortunately, no radiocarbon-datable material has been recovered, so the exact timing of human arrival is unknown. Still, there are some important clues in the details. The ancient baked mudstone tools found on Skye have complex features that resemble artifacts from continental Europe in the Late Upper Paleolithic, specifically those of Ahrensburg culture, argue Hardy and colleagues. Ahrensburg-like tools have been found on some other isles and islands in Scotland, but never this far north and never in such abundance. The number of artifacts made from local materials on Skye "indicate either a reasonably sized population or long-term occupation", the team of archaeologists argue. What's more, archeologists have uncovered several stone circles, between 3 and 5 meters (10 and 16 feet) in diameter, in a large tidal flat in the center of the Isle. Long ago, when Scotland was icier, this tidal flat would have existed above sea level. Today, the stone circles are only visible for around two to three hours per year, when the extreme spring tides arrive. At other times, archaeologists have had to snorkel. Even during the lowest tide, digging into the waterlogged sandy bottom made it very difficult to measure definitive sediment layers for dating. Based on some climate modeling, however, this tidal flat was above sea level roughly 11,000 years ago. For the last 10,000 years, the sites of the stone circles have been covered by water, meaning they were most likely built before then. What's more, other similar stone circles, found across the sea in Norway, were radiocarbon-dated to between roughly 10,400 and 11,000 years ago. "The similarity between these circular alignments and those at Sconser is remarkable and supports the interpretation of a Late Pleistocene/Early Holocene age," write Hardy and colleagues. Experts disagree on when the Ahrensburg culture came and went, but some studies suggest it existed as recently as 10,500 years ago. There is also evidence of Ahrensburgian-like artifacts from this time in what is now southern England. Today, the Isle of Skye is connected to the mainland by a human-made bridge. During the Upper Paleolithic, however, when ice sheets in the region were expanding, there may have been a land bridge or very narrow crossing, less than 300 meters wide. This could have been walkable to Old Stone Age humans during spring tides. During this time, however, the western margins of Scotland would have been cold and inhospitable. The authors of the recent archaeological analysis suspect the earliest humans came to Skye after the ice sheets had already begun to recede. "As they journeyed northwards, most likely following animal herds, they eventually reached Scotland, where the western landscape was dramatically changing as glaciers melted and the land rebounded as it recovered from the weight of the ice," hypothesizes Hardy. "A good example of the volatility they would have encountered can be found in Glen Roy, where the world-famous Parallel Roads provide physical testament to the huge landscape changes and cataclysmic floods that they would have encountered, as they travelled across Scotland." Without reliable radiocarbon dating it's hard to say much about when these cultures arrived. Hardy and colleagues admit this is a limitation, but based on what we know about Old Stone Age humans in continental Europe and in southern England, there's reason to suspect an early push northward. The study was published in The Journal of Quaternary Science. Surprisingly Advanced Ancient Spear Tip Was Not Made by Modern Humans DNA Reveals Surprising Twist About Christopher Columbus This 134-Year-Old Patent Reveals The Proper Way to Hang Toilet Paper
Perth Now
23-04-2025
- Health
- Perth Now
Gwenyth Paltrow 'sick' of Paleo diet
Gwyneth Paltrow is 'sick' of her caveman diet. The 52-year-old actress and her TV producer husband Brad Falchuk became Paleo - following a plan that only includes foods that were available during the Old Stone Age - "a few years ago", but she is now fed up of having "coffee [for breakfast], bone broth for lunch and vegetables for dinner" so she is ditching the restrictive diet for "sourdough bread, cheese [and] a little pasta". She is quoted by the Daily Mail newspaper's Eden Confidential column as saying: "Brad and I became Paleo a few years ago now, although I'm a little bit sick of it, if I'm honest. "I'm getting back into eating sourdough bread, cheese - there I said it. A little pasta after being strict with it for so long." The 'Iron Man' star previously revealed she also uses intermittent fasting during an appearance on 'The Art of Being Well' podcast in 2023. She explained: "I eat dinner early in the evening. I do a nice intermittent fast. I usually eat something at about 12. In the morning, I'll have something that won't spike my blood sugar, so I have coffee. But I really like soup for lunch. I have bone broth for lunch a lot of the days." Gwyneth added she does "one hour of movement" each day before she sitting in a sauna and then eating vegetables for dinner. Admitting the diet had "worked" for her, she added: "It's really just what has worked for me, and it's been very powerful and very positive. "This is not to say I eat this way all day, every day. And by the way, I eat far more than bone broth and vegetables. "I eat full meals, and I also have a lot of days of eating whatever I want. You know, eating french fries and whatever. My baseline has been to try to be healthy and eat foods that will really calm the system down." Gwyneth previously insisted she was attempting to use her diet to calm her "very high levels of inflammation" which she believed were linked to long COVID. During a fan Q+A on her Instagram Stories, Gwyneth said: "I've been working with Dr. Cole {Dr. Will Cole} to really focus on foods that aren't inflammatory. "So, lots of cooked vegetables, all kinds of protein, healthy carbs to really lower inflammation. It's been working really well."
