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 ...
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?
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Look at modern day Democrats and extrapolate.
Ok thanks. But why wouldn’t folks have settled down just for the “sociality” of it? Sure you got enough food to eat and life is pretty good.... Why not stay in one place (river delta, lush valley, etc) and make “friends”?
Bookmark.
I refer one and all to the late, but still great, Arthur C. Clarke and his Three Laws, in particular for this case, Law #1: "When a distinguished but elderly scientist states that something is possible, he is almost certainly right. When he states that something is impossible, he is very probably wrong."
Note please that I am NOT criticizing or disparaging these researchers or this article, just pointing out the habits of the media and others in assigning laudatory adjectives that the researchers would probably disclaim. Any mention of 'settled science' or other such wordage / concept should be at the reader's discretion!
Agriculture
Most of the time that Neandertal is known to have been around (apart from all of us who carry our Neandertal ancestry in our DNA) the continental shelf was exposed due to glaciation and lower sealevel. That's where they had their settlements.
Modern-day Homo sapiens sapiens are not limited to people in the US. People in other countries are also Homo sapiens sapiens.
Well, most of them anyway. Some are Homo sapiens insipiens.
The only time the term "settled science" is used is by people who reject science (which is a method, not a body of knowledge) -- and around here, that doesn't mean some leftist dingbat.
droll.... very droll...
Because they did make friends in their bands. Think of it as an extended scout troop
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