Latest news with #prehistoric
Gizmodo
3 hours ago
- Health
- Gizmodo
New Theory Suggests Meat Preservation, Not Cooking, Drove Early Fire Use
Hundreds of thousands—if not over a million—years ago, humans discovered how to make fire. This would prove to be one of the most important advancements in prehistoric human development, but the origin of this vital discovery remains a contentious topic among scholars. In a study published last month in the journal Frontiers, researchers from Tel Aviv University proposed a new theory for what prompted humans to start making and controlling fires: to protect their food from animals, and, most notably, to extend the prehistoric shelf life of their meat through smoking and drying. In other words, prehistoric speck. The scientists claim to be the first to propose this hypothesis, which aligns with a broader theory they've been developing: that humans' consumption of large animals—and then smaller ones when the megafauna became extinct—drove important prehistoric developments. 'The origins of fire use is a 'burning' topic among prehistory researchers around the world. It is generally agreed that by 400,000 years ago, fire use was common in domestic contexts—most likely for roasting meat, and perhaps also for lighting and heating,' co-author Ran Barkai explained in a statement. 'However there is controversy regarding the preceding million years, and various hypotheses have been put forward to explain why early humans began using fire. In this study, we sought to explore a new perspective on the issue.' Before around 400,000 years ago, early humans such as Homo erectus used fire only occasionally, 'in specific places and for special purposes,' co-author Miki Ben-Dor explained. Starting and maintaining a fire was an arduous process that required a 'compelling, energy-efficient motive.' To investigate this motive, Barkai and Ben-Dor studied previous research on all known prehistoric sites with evidence of fire use from between 1.8 million and 800,000 years ago, amounting to nine locations. Their analysis revealed that all nine sites featured an abundance of large animal remains, including elephants, hippopotamuses, and rhinoceroses. 'From previous studies, we know that these animals were extremely important to early human diets and provided most of the necessary calories. The meat and fat of a single elephant, for example, contain millions of calories, enough to feed a group of 20–30 people for a month or more,' Ben-Dor said. A successfully hunted elephant or hippopotamus was 'a kind of meat and fat 'bank' that needed to be protected and preserved for many days since it was coveted not only by predators but also by bacteria.' The researchers' analysis of the nine prehistoric sites, combined with their calculations of the potential 'energetic advantage' of preserving large game and observations of modern hunter-gatherer societies, culminated in the idea that humans were motivated to make fire to both protect their meat 'banks' from other animals and to smoke and dry them for long-term preservation. Once humans adopted fire to serve these means, they may have also used it for cooking 'at zero marginal energetic cost,' Barkai added. In other words, fire was initially used to smoke and dry meat, and only later repurposed for cooking. The researchers say their approach backs a bigger theory they've been developing—one that sees major prehistoric changes as reactions to shifts in diet. Early on, that meant hunting big animals, but as those species dwindled, people started relying more on smaller game for food. While we already knew that ancient humans, including the iconic Ötzi the Iceman and ancient Native Americans in southwest Florida, were curing and smoking meats thousands of years ago, the researchers' new theory predates this approach by hundreds of thousands of years, and contextualizes it within one of the most important prehistoric human developments known to science.
Sustainability Times
2 days ago
- General
- Sustainability Times
'Archaeologists Couldn't Believe It': 20,000-Year-Old Stone Tools Found on South African Cliff Rewrite Everything About Early Humans
IN A NUTSHELL 🪨 Researchers discovered 20,000-year-old stone tools on South African cliffs, revealing ancient craftsmanship. on South African cliffs, revealing ancient craftsmanship. ⛰️ The KEH-1 cave's altitude and isolation helped preserve the artifacts, allowing precise archaeological study. helped preserve the artifacts, allowing precise archaeological study. 🗺️ The tools belong to the Robberg technocomplex , highlighting shared cultural practices across vast distances. , highlighting shared cultural practices across vast distances. 🤝 These findings illustrate the ingenuity and cooperation of prehistoric humans, offering insights into early social networks. In a remarkable discovery on the windswept cliffs of South Africa, archaeologists unearthed ancient stone tools that date back nearly 20,000 years. These findings not only underscore the survival strategies of prehistoric humans but also shed light on their sophisticated social structures and extensive cultural networks. The tools, preserved in a cliffside cave, reveal a complex level of craftsmanship and suggest a broader narrative of human history long before written records began. This discovery is a testament to the intricate tapestry of human development and offers a glimpse into the lives of our distant ancestors. A Cliffside Cave as a Portal to the Past Perched approximately 246 feet above the current sea level, the KEH-1 cave on South Africa's southern coast stands as a silent witness to a bygone era. During the last Ice Age, this cave overlooked a vast plain, now submerged, offering a strategic vantage point for its prehistoric inhabitants. The research team, led by postdoctoral researcher Sara Watson from the Field Museum in Chicago, braved the challenging ascent daily, hauling around 55 pounds of equipment to access this remote site. Their efforts were rewarded with the discovery of well-preserved sediment layers, untouched by time. The cave's altitude and isolation played a crucial role in preserving these artifacts, shielding them from harsh weather and coastal erosion. Thanks to this natural protection, archaeologists were able to identify precise archaeological layers, some over 24,000 years old. The meticulous excavation process involved cleaning each soil fragment with dental tools, revealing a treasure trove of lithic assemblages that highlight the ingenuity and adaptability of ancient cultures. Archaeologists Stunned as 2,000-Year-Old Egyptian Fortress Yields Hidden Fortifications and a Long-Buried Defensive Moat Prehistoric Stone Tools Crafted for Survival The artifacts discovered belong to the Robberg technocomplex, a cultural tradition well-documented in southern Africa and active between 26,000 and 12,000 years ago. This tradition is characterized by the production of small blades, or 'bladelets,' crafted from stone cores using precise techniques. The tools, dated between 24,000 and 12,000 years old, were meticulously analyzed by Watson and her colleagues, as detailed in their April 2025 publication in the Journal of Paleolithic Archaeology. What stands out about these tools is the standardization of their production. The consistent removal of flakes from the stone cores demonstrates not only a mastery of techniques but also an intentional effort to create functional, uniform shapes. While the exact use of these bladelets remains uncertain, they likely served as points for composite weapons, crucial for hunting in the open savannas populated by large herds of antelopes. These tools reflect a sophisticated adaptive strategy, illustrating the prehistoric humans' ability to innovate and thrive in challenging environments. 'Prehistoric Creatures Walked Among Us': Astonishing Discovery of Ancient Tracks Proves Flying Reptiles Ruled Both Sky and Land in Dinosaur Era Shared Craftsmanship Across Vast Distances Beyond their immediate function, these prehistoric tools reveal unexpected social dynamics. By comparing the stone-knapping methods at KEH-1 with those at other southern African sites, archaeologists identified striking similarities. These findings suggest a shared cultural practice across vast distances, with similar techniques observed in sites as far as Namibia and Lesotho. This consistency in craftsmanship indicates a conscious transmission of knowledge through cultural exchanges among distant human groups. The study's data support this model, showing that while the KEH-1 assemblage aligns with the Robberg tradition, it also features unique characteristics. The tools are slightly larger, bipolar percussion is rare, and the reduction intensity is lower, hinting at a more sporadic use of the site, possibly as a temporary hunting camp. This transient nature underscores the idea of a network of knowledge exchange, where each site contributed to a diverse yet shared technical foundation. 'The Pyramid Has Eight Sides': Stunning Discovery Reveals Hidden Geometry Inside the Great Pyramid of Giza's Ancient Design The Legacy of Human Ingenuity and Cooperation These stone tools are far more than mere material remnants; they embody the legacy of learning, skill transmission, and intergroup communication. By tracing their creation, archaeologists uncover the footprints of a humanity capable of large-scale cooperation long before written language existed. As Sara Watson notes, these Paleolithic populations were not fundamentally different from us; they adapted, innovated, and, most importantly, exchanged knowledge. Through this remarkable discovery, we gain a deeper understanding of our ancestors' resilience and ingenuity. These findings challenge us to reflect on the enduring impact of human cooperation and the intricate connections that have shaped our history. As we continue to unravel the mysteries of the past, what other hidden stories of human achievement await discovery? Our author used artificial intelligence to enhance this article. Did you like it? 4.5/5 (27)
Gizmodo
4 days ago
- General
- Gizmodo
Did a Neanderthal Spot a Face in This Rock 43,000 Years Ago—and Leave a Fingerprint Behind?
While digging inside a cave in the Spanish city of Segovia, archaeologists uncovered an unusual rock. The hand-sized stone naturally resembled an elongated face, and featured a spot of red pigment made from ochre right on the tip of what may be considered its nose. 'We were all thinking the same thing and looking at each other because of its shape: we were all thinking, 'This looks like a face,'' David Álvarez Alonso, an archaeologist at Complutense University in Madrid who was part of the dig, told The Guardian. Álvarez Alonso and his colleagues spent the next three years studying this bizarre rock. The researchers posit that 43,000 years ago, a Neanderthal dipped their finger in ochre and pressed it onto the stone's central ridge—leaving behind what is now considered to be the world's oldest complete human fingerprint. It's an intriguing finding that could have significant implications, but some experts would like to see more evidence to support this hypothesis. The team published its findings in the journal Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences on Saturday, May 24. In the paper, the archaeologists state that the 'strategic position' of the dot suggests it is evidence of Neanderthals' 'symbolic behavior.' In other words, it's a piece of art that 'could represent one of the earliest human face symbolizations in prehistory.' 'The fact that the [rock] was selected because of its appearance and then marked with ochre shows that there was a human mind capable of symbolizing, imagining, idealizing and projecting his or her thoughts on an object,' the researchers write. Whether Neanderthals were capable of making art is a subject of ongoing debate, co-author María de Andrés-Herrero, a professor of prehistory at Complutense University, told the BBC. But over the past decade, a growing body of evidence has led many experts to believe that artistic expression emerged earlier in human evolution than previously thought. The authors of this new study think their stone adds to this evidence. To reach this conclusion, they first needed more data to support the idea that this ancient artist had actually experienced pareidolia: seeing a face in an inanimate object. To that end, they generated a 3D model of the stone's surface and measured the distances between its features, finding that the red dot—or nose—was placed such that it accurately resembled an actual nose on a human face. Then, the researchers enlisted the help of geologists to characterize the red dot, confirming that it was made with ochre. Forensic police experts then used multispectral analysis—a technique that can reveal details invisible to the naked eye—to confirm that the red dot had been applied with a fingertip. Their analysis uncovered a fingerprint that could have belonged to an adult male Neanderthal inside the dot. 'Once we had that and all the other pieces, context and information, we advanced the theory that this could be a pareidolia, which then led to a human intervention in the form of the red dot,' Álvarez Alonso told The Guardian. 'Without that red dot, you can't make any claims about the object.' But Gilliane Monnier, a professor of anthropology at the University of Minnesota who studies Neanderthal behavior, is not totally convinced by the researchers' findings. 'The fact that there are these natural depressions—and that we can measure the distance between them and argue that it's a face—that's all well and good,' Monnier, who wasn't involved in the study, told Gizmodo. 'But that doesn't give us any indication that the Neanderthals who [occupied this cave] saw a face in that [rock].' What's more, she is skeptical of the researchers' claim that the red dot was actually made with a human fingertip. It's possible, she said, that the coloring and fingerprint-like ridges formed naturally. 'I would be interested in seeing an explanation by a geologist—someone trained in geology—saying the likelihood of this forming by natural, geological or geomicrobial processes is a very low likelihood,' Monnier said. The researchers, too, acknowledge that 'it is unlikely that all doubts surrounding this hypothesis can be fully dispelled,' and state that the pareidolia hypothesis should not be seen as a definitive claim, but rather a possible explanation for this object based on the evidence. So it's hard to say whether this study clarifies or complicates our understanding of how the human mind evolved the ability to create art. The face-shaped rock is an intriguing piece of the puzzle, but more research is needed to figure out where it fits.
Reuters
28-05-2025
- General
- Reuters
Tools made of whale bones reveal inventiveness of prehistoric people
May 28 (Reuters) - Artifacts found at archeological sites in France and Spain along the Bay of Biscay shoreline show that humans have been crafting tools from whale bones since more than 20,000 years ago, illustrating anew the resourcefulness of prehistoric people. The tools, primarily hunting implements such as projectile points, were fashioned from the bones of at least five species of large whales, the researchers said. Bones from sperm whales were the most abundant, followed by fin whales, gray whales, right or bowhead whales - two species indistinguishable with the analytical method used in the study - and blue whales. With seafaring capabilities by humans not developing until thousands of years later, the Ice Age hunter-gatherers who made these implements would have been unable to actually hunt whales for their resources in the Bay of Biscay, a gulf of the Atlantic Ocean. "These whales were likely opportunistically acquired from stranded animals or drifted carcasses, rather than actively hunted," said biomolecular archaeologist Krista McGrath of the Autonomous University of Barcelona, co-lead author of the study published in the journal Nature Communications, opens new tab. "The majority of the bones were identified from offshore, deep-water species - such as sperm whale and fin whale - which would have been very difficult to hunt for these prehistoric groups. And there is no evidence from this time period that they had the level of technology that active hunting would have required, like seafaring boats," McGrath said. The 71 whale bone artifacts analyzed by the researchers were found at 27 cave or rock shelter sites. The two oldest ones, both from the bones of fin whales, came from the Spanish Cantabrian sites of Rascaño, dating to about 20,500 years ago, and El Juyo, dating to about 19,800 years ago. The rough age range of the artifacts was from 14,000 years old to more than 20,000 years old, but most were 16,000 to 17,500 years old. The main raw material used to manufacture spear points at the time was antler from reindeer or red deer because it is less brittle and more pliable than land mammal bone. But whale bone offered some advantages, including its large dimensions, with some of the projectile points measuring more than 16 inches (40 cm) long, a size difficult to achieve using antler. "They can be very long and thick, and were probably hafted on spear-style projectiles rather than arrows. They are usually found as fragments, many of which bear fractures related to use, and they were most likely used to hunt the main game animals of the time - reindeer and red deer, horse, bison and ibex," said archaeologist and study co-senior author Jean-Marc Pétillon of the French National Centre for Scientific Research. Bone tools were used by members of the human evolutionary lineage dating back far before our species Homo sapiens emerged more than 300,000 years ago in Africa. The artifacts examined in this study pushed back the oldest-known use of whale bones for toolmaking by 1,000 to 2,000 years. The objects were previously discovered at the various sites and kept in museum collections. The researchers used modern analytical techniques to determine the species from which the bones came and the age of the artifacts. Humans living in this period of prehistory generally were inland hunters, obtaining most of their subsistence needs from the hunting of large hoofed mammals, Pétillon said. The new findings enhance the understanding of their exploitation of seashore resources, Pétillon added. Previous research had shown that Ice Age people gathered seashells, hunted seabirds and fished for marine fishes as a complement to meat from terrestrial animals. "The new findings tell us that these prehistoric groups were likely very well adapted to these coastal environments, and very likely had deep local ecological knowledge and understanding of their coastal habitats," McGrath said. "Whale bones would have been for more than just making tools. There is evidence for their use as fuel as well - the bones contain large amounts of oil - among other things. And the rest of the whale would also certainly have been used – teeth or baleen depending on the species, meat, skin. A single whale provides a lot of resources," McGrath said.
ABC News
27-05-2025
- General
- ABC News
200-million-year-old dinosaur footprints found at school
A rare prehistoric specimen sat in the entrance of a rural school, with neither teachers nor pupils aware of its significance until the head teacher one day decided someone should take a closer look. 7.30's Tom Hartley reports.
