Earlier evidence of human rituals and innovation found in ancient rocks

1 April 2021
Ben and team.
Dr Ben Schoville and team.

The discovery of unexpected artefacts in Africa’s Kalahari Basin has challenged conventional knowledge about the beginnings of human culture and innovation.

A Queensland-led research team found crystals and ostrich shell fragments at Ga-Mohana Hill North Rockshelter - one of only a few well-preserved archaeological sites in the interior of southern Africa.

University of Queensland archaeologist Dr Benjamin Schoville said advanced dating techniques applied to a site 600 kilometres inland revealed artefacts from 105,000 years ago that were previously only found near coastlines and much earlier than previously associated with the region.

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