Archaeologists Discover World’s Oldest Wooden Structure in Zambia

An astonishing discovery on the banks of the Kalambo River in Zambia has left archaeologists reevaluating early human history.

Researchers published their findings on Wednesday, 20 September, revealing that they had uncovered two notched logs from a bushwillow tree which date back approximately 476 000 years.

The archaeologists behind the find have suggested that the remarkably well-preserved wood was used to build structures – possibly shelters – during the Stone Age.

“When I first saw it, I thought this can’t be real,” Larry Barham, an archaeologist at the University of Liverpool, who excavated the timber, said in his publications. “The wood and the stone suggest a high level of ingenuity, technological skill and planning.”

“It could be part of a walkway or part of a foundation for a platform,” Barham speculated before adding: “A platform could be used as a place to store things, to keep firewood or food dry, or it might have been a place to sit and make things. You could put a little shelter on top and sleep there.”

The finding is remarkable in several ways, as it challenges preconceived notions about the ancient humans that were believed to have led simple, nomadic lives up until now. Instead, it suggests an underlying level of intelligence and skill that had not previously been credited to the people who lived half a million years ago.

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