Latest news with #ancienttools
Yahoo
19-06-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Construction Workers Dug Up a Sewer Line—and Found 3,800-Year-Old Tools
Here's what you'll learn when you read this story: A construction project to upgrade a sewer conveyance system in Canada led to the discovery of an archaeological site containing ancient wooden tools. Archaeologists uncovered 3,800-year-old wooden wedges that were likely used to help split logs into planks. The team also discovered cordage made of plant and wood fibers that could have served a multitude of everyday purposes. Crews working to upgrade a sewer conveyance system on Vancouver Island in Canada unearthed a rare archaeological 'wet site' featuring 3,800-year-old wooden tools and cordage. Located on K'ómoks First Nation territory, the find includes wooden wedges likely used to split logs into planks—a common tool in home construction, according to a K'ómoks statement. 'Traditionally, wedges were made from fine-grained woods like yew, spruce, maple, and crabapple, and they were often scorched to increase their hardness,' the statement read. 'The wedge would include a cordage collar or 'grommet,' which helped to prevent the edge of the wood from fraying when hammered.' The team also located the traditional cordage rope—typically made from plant and wood fibers—that could have been a commonly used tool in everyday life tasks ranging from making clothes or baskets to hunting, fishing, harvesting, or fishing. The wedges look similar to railroad spikes, and can easily fit in a hand. Cordage was still wrapped and tied on the end, likely to provide cushioning when the wedges were hammered. Crews worked with the Royal BC Museum to aid in the wet site's conservation, and teams hope to explore both the tools and cordage further to uncover which plant species and manufacturing techniques were used in their creation. Gaining more information about the materials could lead to a better understanding of the purpose of the tools. A wet site is a waterlogged archaeological location. That may at first feel like a negative quality, but water is known to help preserve organic matter—particularly vegetation and wood. These unique preservation characteristics can lead to rich archaeological finds. 'Organic materials like wood plant fibers, basketry, fishing nets, and leather typically only survive in waterlogged archaeological sites, where a lack of oxygen means that microbes and bacteria can't break them down,' said the K'ómoks First Nation. 'In most archaeological sites, archaeologists find tools and other cultural materials made of more hardy materials like stone, antler, shell, and animal bones. However, in wet sites, they can find tangible and remarkably preserved organic materials as well.' As work on the sewer conveyance project—which was meant to protect the shorelines and waters throughout the Comox Valley—has continued, project officials have worked with the K'ómoks First Nation to document and recover archaeological materials impacted by the project, which runs through many of the Nation's ancestral settlements and villages. 'These new findings,' the Nation wrote, 'underscores the importance of archaeological analysis in construction projects. Without archaeological monitoring, excavation, and analysis, these fragile materials that teach us about deep-time history can be destroyed, and information can be permanently erased.' You Might Also Like The Do's and Don'ts of Using Painter's Tape The Best Portable BBQ Grills for Cooking Anywhere Can a Smart Watch Prolong Your Life?
The Independent
27-05-2025
- General
- The Independent
Scientists pinpoint when humans started to use tools made from whale bone
Scientists have discovered the oldest evidence of humans crafting tools from whale bones, dating back roughly 20,000 years. The bones, shaped into narrow projectiles for hunting, were found during excavations in the Bay of Biscay, near Spain and France, over a century ago. While researchers suspected the tools were ancient, their fragmented condition made accurate dating difficult. Recent technological advancements have now enabled scientists to determine the age of the oldest tools. Analysis revealed that the bones originated from various whale species, including blue whales, fin whales, and sperm whales. 'Humans and whales have clearly been encountering one another for a long time,' said Vicki Szabo with Western Carolina University, who studies the history of whaling and was not involved with the latest research. Scientists think that ancient humans were crafting whale bone instruments in places including the Arctic and South Pacific. There's been solid evidence of whale bone tools dating back to about 5,000 years ago, but the new research published Tuesday in the journal Nature Communications pushes the timeline back. Ancient humans weren't necessarily hunting whales, said study author Jean-Marc Petillon with the French National Centre for Scientific Research. More likely, they were scavenging the bodies of beached whales and fashioning their dense, heavy bones into tools to hunt reindeer or bison. The tools indicate that ancient people in the area took advantage of resources near the sea for survival. They likely also collected seashells and fished. Finding such evidence has been difficult as rising sea levels disrupt coastlines across the globe, scientists said. 'It's one more contribution to the importance of coastal environments for human groups, even in this long past," said Petillon.
The Independent
27-05-2025
- Science
- The Independent
Scientists date the oldest known tools made from whale bones to 20,000 years ago
Scientists have pinpointed the oldest known evidence of humans making tools from whale bone. The bones, fashioned into narrow projectiles for hunting, had been uncovered in excavations dating back over a century in the Bay of Biscay near Spain and France. Scientists figured the tools were quite ancient, but many were small fragments so it was hard to determine their age. Technological advancements in the past decade have now made it possible to date the oldest of the tools to about 20,000 years ago. Scientists found that the bones came from blue whales, fin whales, sperm whales and other species. 'Humans and whales have clearly been encountering one another for a long time,' said Vicki Szabo with Western Carolina University, who studies the history of whaling and was not involved with the latest research. Scientists think that ancient humans were crafting whale bone instruments in places including the Arctic and South Pacific. There's been solid evidence of whale bone tools dating back to about 5,000 years ago, but the new research published Tuesday in the journal Nature Communications pushes the timeline back. Ancient humans weren't necessarily hunting whales, said study author Jean-Marc Petillon with the French National Centre for Scientific Research. More likely, they were scavenging the bodies of beached whales and fashioning their dense, heavy bones into tools to hunt reindeer or bison. The tools indicate that ancient people in the area took advantage of resources near the sea for survival. They likely also collected seashells and fished. Finding such evidence has been difficult as rising sea levels disrupt coastlines across the globe, scientists said. 'It's one more contribution to the importance of coastal environments for human groups, even in this long past," said Petillon. ___ The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Science and Educational Media Group and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
Associated Press
27-05-2025
- Science
- Associated Press
Scientists date the oldest known tools made from whale bones to 20,000 years ago
NEW YORK (AP) — Scientists have pinpointed the oldest known evidence of humans making tools from whale bone. The bones, fashioned into narrow projectiles for hunting, had been uncovered in excavations dating back over a century in the Bay of Biscay near Spain and France. Scientists figured the tools were quite ancient , but many were small fragments so it was hard to determine their age. Technological advancements in the past decade have now made it possible to date the oldest of the tools to about 20,000 years ago. Scientists found that the bones came from blue whales, fin whales, sperm whales and other species. 'Humans and whales have clearly been encountering one another for a long time,' said Vicki Szabo with Western Carolina University, who studies the history of whaling and was not involved with the latest research. Scientists think that ancient humans were crafting whale bone instruments in places including the Arctic and South Pacific. There's been solid evidence of whale bone tools dating back to about 5,000 years ago, but the new research published Tuesday in the journal Nature Communications pushes the timeline back. Ancient humans weren't necessarily hunting whales, said study author Jean-Marc Petillon with the French National Centre for Scientific Research. More likely, they were scavenging the bodies of beached whales and fashioning their dense, heavy bones into tools to hunt reindeer or bison. The tools indicate that ancient people in the area took advantage of resources near the sea for survival. They likely also collected seashells and fished. Finding such evidence has been difficult as rising sea levels disrupt coastlines across the globe, scientists said. 'It's one more contribution to the importance of coastal environments for human groups, even in this long past,' said Petillon. ___ The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Science and Educational Media Group and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
