430,000-year-old wooden tools have been found in Greece.
An international team of scientists has discovered two wooden tools dating back about 430,000 years, the oldest hand tools ever found. This was reported on May 24 in the journal Science Daily.
"Unlike stone, wooden objects are preserved only in special conditions. We examined all the wooden remains in detail, examined their surfaces under a microscope and found traces of felling and carving on two objects — clear signs that ancient people shaped them," explained Dr. Annemika Milks, a leading expert on ancient wooden tools.
One of the artifacts is a small section of an alder branch or trunk with traces of deliberate processing and signs of wear from use. According to the researchers, the tool could be used to dig soft soil on the shore of the lake or to remove bark from trees. The second object, a smaller fragment of willow or poplar, also bears traces of carving and possible use.
Stone tools and bones of large animals, including elephants, were found in the parking lot along with wooden tools, indicating that the site was used for butchering prey near the edge of an ancient lake. Dating refers the finds to the Middle Pleistocene— a period from 774,000 to 129 thousand years ago.
"The Middle Pleistocene became a critical stage in human evolution, when more complex forms of behavior began to take shape. The first reliable evidence of the purposeful technological use of plant materials dates back to this period," said Katerina Harvati, head of the long—term excavation program at Marathousa 1, Professor of Paleoanthropology.
Previously known wooden tools have been found in Great Britain, Zambia, Germany and China, but they all date back to a later time. The only earlier example of human handling of wood dates back to about 476,000 years ago: at the Zambian monument Kalambo Falls, wood served as a building material, not a tool.
On May 19, Arkeonews reported the discovery of a Ming Dynasty cannon during the restoration of the Great Wall of China in Beijing. It was clarified that the cast—iron artillery piece dates back to 1632, the fifth year of the reign of the Chongzhen Emperor. The length of the cannon was 89.2 cm, the caliber was 8.5 cm, and the weight reached approximately 112 kg. The archaeologists emphasized that this is the largest firearm ever found at the Jiankou site.
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