US EditionPHYS.Org:.Early Humans in South Africa Were Quarrying Stone as Far Back as 220,000 Years Ago
Researchers found hornfels quarrying at Jojosi and said early Homo sapiens planned resource collection for more than 200,000 years.
- Researchers from the University in Germany found that early humans in South Africa were quarrying stone at Jojosi over 200,000 years ago, revealing deliberate resource acquisition far earlier than previously thought.
- The Jojosi site, located around 85 miles from the Indian Ocean, features hornfels layers exposed by Geological processes during the Pleistocene that made stone quarrying possible.
- PhD student Gunther successfully assembled 353 stone pieces into 'refits,' revealing precisely where and how material was chipped off in order.
- This discovery, published in Nature Communications, challenges the prevailing view that Paleolithic hunter-gatherers collected raw materials incidentally during other activities.
- Professor Karla Pollmann added that these finds show the ability to select resources deliberately and organize activities stretches across generations, revealing early planning capacity.
18 Articles
18 Articles
An international research team led by the University of Tübingen has documented at the site of Jojosi, in eastern South Africa, that groups of Middle Paleolithic humans deliberately and repeatedly extracted rocks in places specifically selected for that purpose at least 220,000 years ago. This evidence, published in [...]
As early as 220,000 years ago, humans were quarrying stone for their tools at sites they specifically sought out for this purpose – significantly earlier than previously thought. An international research team led by the University of Tübingen was able to demonstrate this at the Jojosi site in South Africa, thus refuting the prevailing paradigm that hunter-gatherer groups during the Paleolithic period collected the material for stone tools incid…
Coverage Details
Bias Distribution
- 55% of the sources are Center
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
