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.
