Earliest Human Beds Found in South Africa

Science Magazine Online ^ | 8 December 2011 | Michael Balter

[Fractal Trader]

Sleepy time at Sibudu. Researchers have found microscopic evidence (inset) of 77,000-year-old bedding at this South African cave.

"Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise," wrote Benjamin Franklin in his Poor Richard's Almanack. That may have held true a couple of hundred years ago, but when it comes to our ancient human ancestors, researchers don't know much about how—or even where—they slept. Now a team working in South Africa claims to have found the earliest known sleeping mats, made of plant material and dated up to 77,000 years ago—50,000 years earlier than previous evidence for human bedding. These early mattresses apparently were even specially prepared to be resistant to mosquitoes and other insects.

Early members of our species, Homo sapiens, were nomads who made their living by hunting and gathering. Yet they often created temporary base camps where they cooked food and spent the night. One of the best studied of these camps is Sibudu Cave, a rock shelter in a cliff face above South Africa's Tongati River, about 40 kilometers north of Durban. Sibudu was first occupied by modern humans at least 77,000 years ago and continued to serve as a favored gathering place over the following 40,000 years. Since 1998, a team led by Lyn Wadley, an archaeologist at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, has been excavating at Sibudu, uncovering evidence for complex behaviors, including the earliest known use of bows and arrows.

Over the past several years, the team has found that many of the archaeological layers featured large, 1-centimeter thick swaths of plant remains, including the remnants of both stems and leaves. Most of them cover at least three square meters.

[Fractal Trader]

ping

[andy58-in-nh]

The funny thing is: the beds were still cleaner than many of those used in Zuccotti Park.

[Sacajaweau]

Big whoop.....This would surprise someone?? Man was not born brainless. He just didn't know what was out there. He improvised.

Now, you can buy a mattress for $1000. 900 thread sheets for $100....and we still have bedbugs!!

Camping was always fun...Got better when we had sleeping bags. Got even better when we could rent a camp.

Now, only a $500 a day room will do.

(Only kidding...$20 a day...but bring your own mattress and bug killer...

[lacrew]

I suspect ‘bedding’ is just about as old as man. It doesn’t take alot of enlightenment to figure out what is soft to sleep on.

[Eye of Unk]

Reminds me of the final episode of the latest Battlestar Galactica where they settle upon Africa. A long long time ago.

[ExtremeUnction]

I slept on hard dirt on more than one occasion in Vietnam. it looks like my ancestors were a little smarter than me.

[Sacajaweau]

And another thing....We kept leaves in the bathroom at our fishing camp...in case you forgot to “bring your own roll”.

[Sacajaweau]

That bathroom was an outhouse.

[July4]

I question whether or not the discovery of these artifacts represents the first or earliest anything. For years we’ve been told that the African finds prove that evolution took place in Africa. I don’t think we’ve proven the theory of evolution or that human beginnings were in Africa.

On the contrary, perhaps we’re findings artifacts in Africa because Africa was the location of the most recent development, not the oldest, thus, more likely to be preserved.

We have accepted African Eve and the subsequent finds with few questions; that might be a mistake. And, while you’re wondering about those artifacts, wonder why the same family of archeologists makes so many earth-shaking discoveries in that region.

It’s time for for honest skepticism.

[calex59]

I suspect ‘bedding’ is just about as old as man. It doesn’t take alot of enlightenment to figure out what is soft to sleep on.

He**, Chimps make beds in trees by bending the branches down to form a pallet, why wouldn't humans figure out how to make a sleeping mat?

[I_Publius]

I know that I, for one, am about sick and tired of hear all of these dates as being concrete dates....77,000 years ago....B.S.

[mountainlion]

Oh the Humanity, even the ancient ones were foreclosed form their homes!/s

[reagan_fanatic]

Less widely reported was the sign found next to it that said “Helen Thomas Slept Here’.

[Natufian]

The full scientific report approximates the date to 77,000 BCE and explains the dating methodology used.

[I_Publius]

Ahh...ok....like C-14 dating....oh, wait, that really doesn’t work well for plant life and is really not very accurate after a few thousand years though, right? (I could be wrong on that....that “technique” may have been proven to 100% correct in all testings...I haven’t looked into it in a while.)

I could be wrong though. I’m not one of those smart people who has spent my life in the educational system being shown how to think “correctly.”

[MrB]

C-14 dating works for everything “once living” (including plants),
but you’re right about the limitations. It’s only good to about 10,000 years at most.

Of course, there’s still the problem of assumptions like the amount of C14 in the atmosphere at the time it was alive, among others.

[I_Publius]

Exactly...which is why I go back to my original posting about their assumption on how old the bedding was. I get so tired of the scientific and educated community preaching their word as being the gospel on how old the World is and sure hate my children having to be faced with the confusion. Until they can say with 100% certaintity that their dates are correct, I call B.S. on anything over about 10k years old. :)

[SunkenCiv]

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[null and void]

Early to rise and early to bed
makes a man healthy but socially dead