Latest news with #StoneAge
Daily Maverick
an hour ago
- Daily Maverick
Journey through Kimberley: Explore the legends, battlefields and vibrant life of the diamond city
Discover the secrets of Kimberley — a well-known, old city shaped by conflict, captivating characters and, most of all, diamonds. When the first 20,000-odd fortune hunters arrived after many days of travel from Cape Town along the Diamond Way, they were met by vast empty plains and visited by horrendous dust storms and locust plagues. The many tent bars stayed open all day and all night, as kopje-wallopers (the local name for diamond middlemen) slaked their giant collective thirst. And into all of this excitement and confusion came young Barney Isaacs, soon to be reincarnated as Barney Barnato, actor, prize-fighter, seller of smelly cigars and, initially, a kopje-walloper whose fortunes were about to change for the better. Boutique hotel The engine room of Kimberley was, of course, the Big Hole. It was once a respectable piece of geography called Colesberg Kopje. Then it disappeared and became The Big Hole, currently residing on Tucker Street in Kimberley. In its time, it yielded 2,000-odd kilogrammes of diamonds from just more than 22 million tons of excavated earth. The Big Hole has a wonderful museum around it, complete with an Old Town where you can still hear the old honky-tonk piano and visit Barney's Gym. At the entrance to the museum, you can check out the old steam fire engine in front of the Pulsator Building and then walk down a long gantry to peer down at the pea-green waters of The Big Hole. Next up is the McGregor Museum, and the Duggan-Cronin Museum next to it. The building, which was once the Kimberley Sanatorium, is a grand old pile in Belgravia and the headquarters of a large museum complex. This is where we learn about the Kimberley Siege, how people were buried in the Stone Age, the lives of Lucy Lloyd and Wilhelm Bleek, who translated the thoughts and words of the !Xam people, and many paleo-insights. Next door, in the midst of other exhibitions, we learn about one Alfred Martin Duggan-Cronin, who spent more than 50 years on photographic field trips through southern Africa. He first took pictures of the black miners in Kimberley and was fascinated with where they came from. He ended up building a huge body of work in places like deep Mozambique, then southern Rhodesia, Bechuanaland and Pondoland, earning the Matabele name of Thandabantu in the process. It means 'someone who loves people' — and it shows in his work. The famous writer and activist Sol Plaatje once lived in Kimberley, and his home is now officially the Sol Plaatje Museum, full of books of historical significance. Pride of place in that extensive library belongs to a copy of Mhudi, published in 1930, considered to be the first novel by a black South African writer published in English. An outfit called Native Minds Tours organises guided visits to Galeshewe Township, adjacent to Kimberley. You can tour the township on bicycles, visiting the cultural village, the Mural Arts Project, the Kgosi Galeshewe Art Gallery and round it all off by attending a performance of the Galeshewe Theatre Organisation, which specialises in Northern Cape community stories. Kgosi Galeshewe, after whom the arts gallery is named, led his Batlhaping people in what became known as the Phokwane Rebellion against the British colonial government in the 1870s. Boers waiting in ambush Heading south out of Kimberley, we visit the Magersfontein battlefield, where the Highland Brigade was decimated by Boer forces waiting in ambush on 11 December 1899. We watch the short film reconstruction of the battle in the museum at Magersfontein, and then take a short walk up a hill to the looming Celtic cross that commemorates the fateful day. In October, the nearby upmarket Magersfontein Memorial Golf Estate sees the start of the Battle of the Bikes Festival, a very popular outdoor family event that welcomes mountain bikers, e-bikers and gravel bikers over three routes. The following day we dedicate to Mokala National Park, about 70km southwest of Kimberley. In this varying landscape of dolerite hills and grassy plains, expect to see breeding herds of everything from buffalo to blue wildebeest, with tsessebe and roan antelope included. The birders among us will, of course, go for sightings of the black-chested prinia, blacksmith lapwing and the short-toed rock thrush, not to mention the cinnamon-breasted bunting or the freckled nightjar. On our last day trip from Kimberley, we head north in the direction of Barkly West to Wildebeest Kuil and its famous rock engravings, presumably etched into the dolerite by people from the Later Stone Age. Wildebeest Kuil belongs to two San groups, the !Xun and the Khwe, and it is advisable to take a guide from the community to take you on an interpretive tour of the site. Look out for Kousop's Rock, a memorial to a Khoe-San rebel who fought the colonists here and was killed, along with 130 of his clan, in 1858. Know before you go Kimberley is full of vivid stories and remarkable characters, and is rightly rich in museums. Visit them to imbibe the spirit and history of this fascinating diamond city. DM
20 hours ago
- Science
100,00-year-old bones tell a story about the origins of burial rites
SHOHAM, Israel -- Archaeologists believe they have found one of the oldest burial sites in the world at a cave in Israel, where the well-preserved remains of early humans dating back some 100,000 years were carefully arranged in pits. The findings at Tinshemet Cave in central Israel, published in an academic journal earlier this year, build on previous discoveries in northern Israel and add to a growing understanding of the origins of human burial. Of particular interest to archaeologists are objects found beside the remains that may have been used during ceremonies to honor the dead and could shed light on how our ancient ancestors thought about spirituality and the afterlife. 'This is an amazing revolutionary innovation for our species," said Yossi Zaidner, one of the directors of the Tinshemet excavation and a professor of archaeology at Hebrew University in Jerusalem. "It's actually the first time we are starting to use this behavior.' Archaeologists working at Tinshemet since 2016 have discovered the remains of five early humans that date back to around 110,000 to 100,000 years ago, according to various technologies. The skeletons were discovered in pits and carefully arranged in a fetal position, which is known as a burial position, said Zaidner. Many were found with objects, such as basalt pebbles, animal remains or fragments of ochre, a reddish pigment made from iron-rich rocks. These objects, some sourced from hundreds of kilometers (miles) away, had no known practical use for daily life, so experts believe they were part of rituals meant to honor the dead. Tinshemet Cave is a dark slash in central Israel's rolling hills filled with squeaking fruit bats. Inside and around the cave is an unassuming stone mound which Zaidner calls 'one of the three or four most important sites for study of human evolution and behavior during the Paleolithic time.' The Paleolithic era, also known as the Stone Age because of the onset of stone tools, lasted from as early as 3.3 million years ago until around 10,000 years ago. Tinshemet Cave is from the Middle Paleolithic era, roughly between 250,000 to 30,000 years ago. Some of the Tinshemet researchers' core findings were published in March in Nature Human Behavior. A key discovery were the remains of five early humans, including two full skeletons and three isolated skulls with other bones and teeth. Also of note were more than 500 differently sized fragments of red and orange ochre, a pigment created by heating iron-rich stones to a certain temperature — evidence that early humans had the means to create decorative objects. 'Here we see a really complex set of behaviors, not related to just food and surviving,' Zaidner said. Using hand chisels and delicate, pen-sized pneumatic drills that resemble dental tools, archaeologists will need many more years to excavate the site. The field work, which started in 2016, is usually done over the summer months. This year, a dozen archaeology undergraduate and graduate students fanned out across the site, painstakingly documenting and removing each fragment of tool, object or bone. At the entrance to the cave, the skull of one of the early humans is slowly emerging from the rock sediment; it will be years before it is fully excavated. Tinshemet is exceptionally important to archaeologists because the local climate preserved the bones, tools, and ornaments in good condition, unlike many other parts of the world where these items were lost to time, said Christian Tryon, a professor at the University of Connecticut and a research associate at the Human Origins Program at the Smithsonian Institution, who was not involved in the study. The skeletons and objects were so well preserved because of ash from frequent fires, likely for rituals. This large amount of ash mixed with rainfall and Israel's acidic limestone, creating optimal conditions for perseveration. One skeleton was in such good condition archaeologists could see how the fingers were interwoven, hands clasped beneath the head. Tryon said the Tinshemet findings are bolstering earlier discoveries from two similar burial sites dating back to the same period in northern Israel — Skhul Cave and Qafzeh Cave. Skhul Cave was excavated almost 100 years ago, and Qafzeh Cave mostly around 50 years ago, when archaeological practices were more haphazard. 'There were so many uncertainties with those sites, but this is confirming it's a pattern we know, and they're really nailing down the dates,' Tryon said. Tinshemet has helped archaeologists conclude that burial practices started to become more widespread during this time, representing a shift in how early humans treated their dead. Some archaeologists believe intentional burials started earlier. In South Africa, the Homo naledi species – an ancient cousin of Homo sapiens – may have been intentionally placing their dead in caves as early as 200,000 years ago. But many archaeologists said the findings are controversial and there is not enough evidence to support the claim of intentional burials. In ancient times, Israel was a bridge between Neanderthals from Europe and Homo sapiens from Africa. Archaeologists have identified other subgroups of early humans in the area, and believe the groups interacted and may have interbred. Experts have been studying the two full skeletons brought from Tinshemet for years, but it's still unclear if they were Neanderthals, Homo sapiens, a hybrid population or another group altogether. The mix of subgroups created opportunities for different groups of early humans to exchange knowledge or express identity, said Zaidner. It's around this time that archaeologists first see examples of early jewelry or body painting, which could be ways early humans started outwardly belonging to a certain group, drawing boundaries between 'us' and 'them,' he said. Israel Hershkovitz, a physical anthropologist at Tel Aviv University and the co-director of the Tinshemet site, said the concept of cemeteries in prehistoric life is important because it symbolizes 'a kind of a territory.' He said that same kind of claim over land where ancestors are buried still echoes in the region. 'It's a kind of claim you make to the neighbors, saying 'this is my territory, this part of the land belongs to my father and my forefather' and so on and so on.'
Los Angeles Times
3 days ago
- Science
- Los Angeles Times
A 100,000-year-old burial site in Israel is changing what we know about early humans
SHOHAM, Israel — Archaeologists believe they have found one of the oldest burial sites in the world at a cave in Israel, where the well-preserved remains of early humans dating back about 100,000 years were carefully arranged in pits. The findings at Tinshemet Cave in central Israel, published in an academic journal this year, build on previous discoveries in northern Israel and add to a growing understanding of the origins of human burial. Of particular interest to archaeologists are objects found beside the remains that may have been used during ceremonies to honor the dead and could shed light on how our ancient ancestors thought about spirituality and the afterlife. 'This is an amazing revolutionary innovation for our species,' said Yossi Zaidner, one of the directors of the Tinshemet excavation and a professor of archaeology at Hebrew University in Jerusalem. 'It's actually the first time we are starting to use this behavior.' Archaeologists working at Tinshemet since 2016 have discovered the remains of five early humans that date to around 110,000 to 100,000 years ago, according to various technologies. The skeletons were discovered in pits and carefully arranged in a fetal position, which is known as a burial position, Zaidner said. Many were found with objects, such as basalt pebbles, animal remains or fragments of ochre, a reddish pigment made from iron-rich rocks. These objects, some sourced from hundreds of miles away, had no known practical use for daily life, so experts believe they were part of rituals meant to honor the dead. Tinshemet Cave is a dark slash in central Israel's rolling hills filled with squeaking fruit bats. Inside and around the cave is an unassuming stone mound that Zaidner calls 'one of the three or four most important sites for study of human evolution and behavior during the Paleolithic time.' The Paleolithic era, also known as the Stone Age because of the onset of stone tools, lasted from as early as 3.3 million years ago until around 10,000 years ago. Tinshemet Cave is from the Middle Paleolithic era, roughly between 250,000 and 30,000 years ago. Some of the Tinshemet researchers' core findings were published in March in the journal Nature Human Behavior. One key discovery consisted of the remains of five early humans: two full skeletons and three isolated skulls with other bones and teeth. Also of note were more than 500 differently sized fragments of red and orange ochre, a pigment created by heating iron-rich stones to a certain temperature — evidence that early humans had the means to create decorative objects. 'Here we see a really complex set of behaviors, not related to just food and surviving,' Zaidner said. Using hand chisels and delicate, pen-sized pneumatic drills that resemble dental tools, archaeologists will need many more years to excavate the site. The fieldwork, which started in 2016, is usually done over the summer months. This year, a dozen archaeology undergraduate and graduate students fanned out across the site, painstakingly documenting and removing each fragment of tool, object or bone. At the entrance to the cave, the skull of one of the early humans is slowly emerging from the rock sediment; it will be years before it is fully excavated. Tinshemet is exceptionally important to archaeologists because the local climate preserved the bones, tools and ornaments in good condition, unlike in many other parts of the world where these items were lost to time, said Christian Tryon, a professor at the University of Connecticut and a research associate at the Human Origins Program at the Smithsonian Institution, who was not involved in the study. The skeletons and objects were so well preserved because of ash from frequent fires, probably for rituals. This large amount of ash mixed with rainfall and Israel's acidic limestone, creating optimal conditions for preservation. One skeleton was in such good condition archaeologists could see how the fingers were interwoven, hands clasped beneath the head. Tryon said the Tinshemet findings are bolstering earlier discoveries from two similar burial sites dating to the same period in northern Israel — Skhul Cave and Qafzeh Cave. Skhul Cave was excavated almost 100 years ago, and Qafzeh Cave mostly around 50 years ago, when archaeological practices were more haphazard. 'There were so many uncertainties with those sites, but this is confirming it's a pattern we know, and they're really nailing down the dates,' Tryon said. Tinshemet has helped archaeologists conclude that burial practices started to become more widespread during this time, representing a shift in how early humans treated their dead. Some archaeologists believe intentional burials started earlier. In South Africa, the species Homo naledi — an ancient cousin of Homo sapiens — may have been intentionally placing their dead in caves as early as 200,000 years ago. But many archaeologists said the findings are controversial and there is not enough evidence to support the claim of intentional burials. In ancient times, the land that is now Israel was a bridge between Neanderthals from Europe and Homo sapiens from Africa. Archaeologists have identified other subgroups of early humans in the area and believe the groups interacted and may have interbred. Experts for years have been studying the two full skeletons brought from Tinshemet, but it's still unclear whether they were Neanderthals, Homo sapiens, a hybrid population or another group. The mix of subgroups created opportunities for different groups of early humans to exchange knowledge or express identity, Zaidner said. It's around this time that archaeologists first see examples of early jewelry or body painting, which could be ways early humans started outwardly belonging to a certain group, drawing boundaries between 'us' and 'them,' he said. Israel Hershkovitz, a physical anthropologist at Tel Aviv University and the co-director of the Tinshemet site, said the concept of cemeteries in prehistoric life is important because it symbolizes 'a kind of a territory.' He said that same kind of claim over land where ancestors are buried still echoes in the region. 'It's a kind of claim you make to the neighbors, saying, 'This is my territory, this part of the land belongs to my father and my forefather,' and so on and so on.' Lidman writes for the Associated Press.
Canada News.Net
6 days ago
- General
- Canada News.Net
Crucial water facility destroyed in war-torn African nation
The director of Khartoum State Water Corporation has said over 450 service vehicles were also lost The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have destroyed the main water quality testing laboratory in Khartoum state, Sudan, inflicting a major blow to critical infrastructure amid the continuing civil war, according to a senior official. In an interview with the Sudan Tribune on Wednesday, Mohamed Ali al-Ajab, director general of the Khartoum State Water Corporation, said the RSF wrecked the al-Mugran laboratory, which previously analyzed Nile and groundwater samples for both public and private clients. The lab, worth an estimated $1 million, was the largest of its kind in the area. "The authority has lost approximately 454 vehicles, whether they were cars, mobile tankers, cranes, or excavators," Ajab said. According to the director, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has delivered spare parts worth $77,000, with an additional $223,000 shipment expected. All of Khartoum state's water stations have been severely disrupted since fighting broke out in April 2023 between the RSF and Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF). Only one station continued working throughout the conflict, according to Ajab. Six of 12 major plants have since partially resumed service. However, Khartoum North (Bahri), a key facility with a daily capacity of 300,000 cubic meters, remains only partly functional. Ajab detailed massive damage to Bahri's electrical systems, citing the loss of over 17km of cable, 61 control panels, nine transformers, and three pumps that were reportedly thrown into the Nile River. Estimates of fatalities have varied since the outbreak of the fighting, though research from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine suggests that over 61,000 people were killed in the state of Khartoum alone during the first 14 months. Local media have reported a death toll as high as 130,000. In March, the director of Sudan's National Corporation for Antiquities and Museums (NCAM), Ghalia Garelnabi, announced that the RSF had looted all archaeological gold from the National Museum in Khartoum. Opened in 1971, the museum housed artifacts spanning Sudanese history from the Stone Age to the Islamic period. Experts called the assault a "historical catastrophe," with an estimated 90% of the collection destroyed.
Scottish Sun
6 days ago
- Science
- Scottish Sun
Is this the oldest burial site in the world? Archaeologists find human remains carefully arranged in bat-infested cave
A team of students will take years to fully excavate the Stone Age site BATCAVE BURIAL Is this the oldest burial site in the world? Archaeologists find human remains carefully arranged in bat-infested cave Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) ARCHAEOLOGISTS may have found the oldest burial site in the world - after discovering carefully arranged human remains dating back 100,000 years. Boffins made the groundbreaking find at a bat-infested cave in Israel - where they unearthed ancient yet well-preserved bodies in neat formations. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 8 Archaeologists may have found the oldest burial site in the world Credit: AP 8 Boffins have discovered carefully arranged human remains dating back 100,000 years Credit: AP 8 Professor of Archaeology Yossi Zaidner (C) works in Tinshemet Cave Credit: AP 8 The jaw-dropping discovery may mark itself as the oldest burial site in the world. Archaeologists were particularly interested in objects found beside the remains - which may have been used in ceremonies or rituals to honour the dead. These pieces of evidence could shed light on how ancient ancestors thought about the afterlife. One of the directors of the cutting-edge excavation Yossi Zaidner hailed the find as "an amazing revolutionary innovation for our species". READ MORE WORLD NEWS ANCIENT FIND Lost city from 3,500-years-ago home to the Americas' oldest civilization found The discoveries at Tinshemet Cave in central Israel were published in an academic journal earlier this year. They build on previous discoveries in northern Israel and add to a growing understanding of the origins of human burial. Researchers were working at Tinshemet since 2016, and they claim to have unearthed the remains of five early humans that date to around 110,000 to 100,000 years ago. The fascinating skeletal remains were found arranged in fetal positions in a deep pit. Objects found around them included basalt pebbles, animal remains or fragments of ochre. Since these curious objects had no use for daily life, scientists believe they were part of burying rituals. Incredible ancient lost city from 3,500-years-ago home to the Americas' oldest civilization uncovered in Peru Tinshemet Cave is located in the hills of central Israel - and is filled with squeaking fruit bats. Zaidner said there is stone mound in and outside the cave - which he called one of the three or four most important sites for study of human evolution and behaviour during the Paleolithic time. The Paleolithic era is known as the Stone Age because of the onset of stone tools. It lasted from as early as 3.3 million years ago until around 10,000 years ago. Tinshemet Cave is from the Middle Paleolithic era, roughly between 250,000 to 30,000 years ago. Findings from the extraordinary cave were published in March - with a key discovery being the remains of five early humans. Researchers are now using hand chisels and delicate, pen-sized pneumatic drills that resemble dental tools, to pick apart their findings. But they will need many more years to fully excavate the site. 8 Th full excavation will take years Credit: AP 8 Researchers found fascinating objects near the remains Credit: AP A dozen archaeology students have spread out across the site, painstakingly documenting and removing each fragment of tool, object or bone. Archaeology professor Christian Tryon said: "Tinshemet is exceptionally important to archaeologists because the local climate preserved the bones, tools, and ornaments in good condition, unlike many other parts of the world where these items were lost to time." The high quality of preservation is said to be because of ash from frequent fires, possibly from rituals. The large amount of ash mixed with rainfall and Israel's acidic limestone, created optimal conditions for preservation, the professor added. One skeleton was in such good condition that archaeologists could see how the skeleton's fingers were interwoven, with their hands clasped beneath their head. Tyron said the new finds at Tinshemet Cave back up earlier digs at Skhul and Qafzeh caves, showing early humans were starting to bury their dead more widely. The older sites, dug decades ago, left many questions, but Tinshemet's precise dating confirms the pattern. Some experts even argue burials may go back 200,000 years - citing the Homo naledi in South Africa. But many scientists doubt the claims, saying there is not enough evidence and calling the ideas controversial. 8 The fruit bat-infested Tinshemet Cave is located in central Israel Credit: AP
