Archaeologists unearth oldest known wooden structure in Zambia

Archaeologists have made a remarkable discovery of the oldest known wooden structure, dating back nearly half a million years.

This ancient structure, uncovered along a riverbank in Zambia, consists of two interlocking logs with a carefully crafted notch in the upper piece to allow them to fit together at right angles. The discovery was made by analyzing cut marks created by stone tools, according to CNN.

Geoff Duller, a professor of geography and Earth sciences at the University of Aberystwyth in the United Kingdom, was part of the team that found the structure in 2019. He suggested that this wooden construction, excavated near Kalambo Falls upstream along the border between Zambia and Tanzania, may have served as a wooden platform for various purposes. It could have been used as a walkway, a means to keep food or firewood dry, or even as a foundation for constructing a dwelling. Additionally, other wooden tools and a digging stick were discovered at the same site.

"That the wood has remained in place and intact for half a million years is extraordinary. And it gives us this real insight, this window into this time period", said Duller, coauthor of the study on the wooden structure that published in the journal Nature on September 20.