The earliest wood structure in the world found at Kalambo Falls, Zambia: a journey of discovery.
Info
Place du 20-Août, 7 (Bât. A1)
4000 Liège
On the occasion of its 10th anniversary, ULiège's TraceoLab has the pleasure of welcoming Professor Larry Barham (University of Liverpool, UK) to give a public lecture about the recent discovery of the world’s oldest known wooden structure at the famous archaeological site of Kalambo Falls, Zambia.
J
oin us and hear about his team’s adventure that led to uncovering the remarkable remains buried deep in the bank of Kalambo River and about the expert analyses that could prove the wooden structure was made by humans at least 476,000 years ago. This spectacular find implies that our distant ancestors had the tools and the know-how to shape and assemble large wooden structures.
These abilities have been previously thought to occur much later in the human lineage. The wooden construction also shows that our ancestors modified their living environment hundreds of thousands of years ago in ways we do not typically associate with nomadic hunter-gatherers. The ongoing work at the exceptional site of Kalambo Falls challenges our view on the timing of the crucial developments from which our present-day technological and cultural capacities derive.
learn more about Pr Larry Barham
About TraceoLab
The Traceology laboratory, TraceoLab, studies human behaviour by analysing macro- and microscopic traces and residues on prehistoric stone artefacts. TraceoLab's research projects focus on the Palaeolithic period of the ancient world. This 26 October, the TraceoLab is celebrating its 10th anniversary and organising a colloquium that will gather researchers from around the world.