Cueva Negra deep layer with thermally altered remains. Courtesy Michael Walker, et. al.
Posted on 05/06/2018 7:42:53 PM PDT by SunkenCiv
“We regard its age as quite likely between 865,000 and 810,000 years ago,” said Michael Walker of Spain’s Murcia University, a lead researcher on Cueva Negra.
“[Arguably] Until now hand-axes in Europe have not been recorded from before 500,000 years ago,” said Walker. Moreover, he adds, “the evidence of combustion [use of fire] is also the oldest anywhere outside Africa.”
The new dating results were acquired through biochronological analysis of small-mammal teeth remains found within the Cueva Negra rockshelter, indicating they accumulated during what is technically called the Matuyama magnetochron, or between 0.99 and 0.78 Ma.
Researchers do not yet know what species of ancient human occupied the rockshelter during this early time period, but they suggest that they were pre-Neanderthal, possibly Homo heidelbergensis, Homo antecessor, or Homo erectus. Homo erectus has been most often associated with Acheulean handaxes in the archaeological record, but there is no consensus or evidence that shows that this stone tool type was exclusive to Homo erectus.
(Excerpt) Read more at popular-archaeology.com ...
Cueva Negra deep layer with thermally altered remains. Courtesy Michael Walker, et. al.
Medium rare beats full char.
“Scientists” cannot possibly “confirm” such a thing. Is the science settled?
Over 850,000 years old? And I thought the Neanderthal hand axe in my collection from 70,000 years ago was old.
It’s probably just Neanderthals putting too many zeroes on the date stamps. They weren’t very good with dates or numbers. One factor for their extinction was getting home at night forgetting it was their wedding anniversary.
First use of fire “outside Africa”.
“Researchers do not yet know what species of ancient human occupied the rockshelter during this early time period, but they suggest that they were pre-Neanderthal, possibly Homo heidelbergensis, Homo antecessor, or Homo erectus.”
Likely not Homo Erectus. They didn’t really enter the scene until the 1970s.
If fire was being used 900,000 years ago why did it take until 10,000 years ago or so to start cities and cultivation and the like? It seems they (Neanderthals/Humans) must have realized what was going on by the point.
#10 It was Aliens.
They dropped by to visit about 10,000years ago.
Wow, didn’t realize they came in that form too.
So when will 23andMe manage to get some H. heidelbergensis or H. erectus DNA so they can inform their clientele whether they have any heidelbergensis or erectus DNA? They do that now with Neanderthal DNA but the Neanderthals died out relatively recently.
* we think that a hunter-gatherer's lifestyle is short,brutish and disease-ridden, whereas the opposite is more apt --> Khoi-san hunter-gatherers need to "work" only about 6 hours per day and that includes 3 hours of hunting and 3 hours of preparing hunting tools, planning etc. The rest of the time is leisure. Ditto for their women, work time is 6 to 7 hours daily. AND they live in a desert region. Imagine hunter-gatherers in places with more game - work time could be as little as 4 hours daily. Agriculture workers and farmer had to toil more than 8 hours daily for the same nutrition levels
Also note that hunter gatherers in Europe during the Neolithic period were 5'10" (male) and 5'6" on average while during the middle ages this was 5'5" and 5'.
If you have easily available game, you can also gatehr wild vegetables or do basic horticulture like eat good melons at spot A, toss the seeds around, tear up the weeds and come back to the same place next year. There is no point in settling down in this case (which is why Japan got cities relatively late).
As for fire - that makes sense - you cook the meat and veggies and they are easier to digest, you find you are more energetic (as you can digest more nutrients)
I believe all homo homo sapiens sapiens (i.e. US) have H.erectus DNA. They were the ancestors of h sapiens. Not sure about h.heidelbergensis
I remember seeing that album in the PX many years ago...
The Palaeolithic -- or Old Stone Age -- tool, which could be anything between 100,000 and 450,000 years old, is one of only ten ever to be found in Scotland. ['Incredibly exciting' rare pre-Ice Age handaxe discovered on Orkney | Tuesday, June 7, 2011]
These scientists based their date range on evidence. You're merely talking out your ass.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
