Stone tools discovered in Arabia force archaeologists to rethink human history

Stone tools discovered in Arabia force archaeologists to rethink human history

www.guardian.co.uk

The tools found in southern Arabia date from 125,000 years ago – 55,000 years before humans were thought to have left Africa.

A spectacular haul of stone tools discovered beneath a collapsed rock shelter in southern Arabia has forced a major rethink of the story of human migration out of Africa. The collection of hand axes and other tools shaped to cut, pierce and scrape bear the hallmarks of early human workmanship, but date from 125,000 years ago, around 55,000 years before our ancestors were thought to have left the continent.

(visit the link for the full news article)

It goes on to say record lows in sea level, which left only a shallow stretch of water about three miles wide at the Bab al Mandab Straits separating east Africa and the Arabian peninsula. Uerpmann said early humans may have walked or waded across, but added: "They could have used rafts or boats, which they certainly could make at that time."

So could they have seen land across this stretch which gave them the idea to cross it?

If they could make rafts and boats back then where else could they have travelled to?

www.guardian.co.uk
(visit the link for the full news article)

Hmmm. I already knew about the into-Arabia theory of early human migration. I'm not sure if this is a re-hash of the dates already known, or if it's a full do-over.

Either way, neato.

reply to post by muddyhoop

I found this comment from the article interesting:

The discovery has sparked debate among archaeologists, some of whom say much stronger evidence is needed to back up the researchers' claims. "I'm totally unpersuaded," Paul Mellars, an archaeologist at Cambridge University, told Science. "There's not a scrap of evidence here that these were made by modern humans, nor that they came from Africa."

If he doesn't think they were made by modern humans, who does he think made them? Aliens? Apes? We've seen other primates use tools but never fashioned with this degree of craftsmanship.

And walking or canoeing across a 3 mile stretch of shallow water doesn't seem like it would be too hard. But it would be nice to see more evidence to back it up.

But if anyone can explain what he means by "There's not a scrap of evidence here that these were made by modern humans" please do so, I looked at the pictures and I don't know what else he could be thinking besides modern humans...maybe he's thinking Neanderthal or something, but as another thread pointed out, that's not even really a different species from modern humans because of the interbreeding capability.

reply to post by Arbitrageur


Some of the species before homo sapiens were skilled at stone cutting, neanderthal man and earlier, it is possible humans had nothing to do with these tools.

reply to post by LetsTouch
Yes it would be nice if he was more clear about that, but according to some that would still make them human, classified as Homo sapiens neanderthalensis, a race of the human species. I can't think of who or what else could fashion such tools.

Originally posted by Arbitrageur
reply to post by LetsTouch

 

Yes it would be nice if he was more clear about that, but according to some that would still make them human, classified as Homo sapiens neanderthalensis, a race of the human species. I can't think of who or what else could fashion such tools.

He was perfectly clear. It's just that you're unfamiliar with the terminology

H. sapiens is divided into two main groups; "archaic" and "anatomically modern" - or just "modern" for short. The "moderns" seem to show up in the middle paleolithic, roughly 200,000 years ago. Of course, there's a lot of overlap between "archaic" and "modern," but the division is still pretty handy for the purposes of archaeology.

What he's saying is that these tools could have been made by Neandertals, or by Rhodesian man, or even by some other group we haven't found yet.

reply to post by TheWalkingFox
I see!

Thanks for the clarification!

reply to post by muddyhoop

force archaeologists to rethink human history

again? this seems to happen a lot.

and to think the things we are taught in school or are told about history are given as facts not to be questioned.