Cave discovery on South African coast unlocks ancient toolmaking secrets

Archaeologists from the Field Museum have uncovered thousands of ancient stone tools in a cave overlooking the ocean on the southern coast of South Africa.

This remarkable discovery offers new insights into the sophisticated manufacturing techniques of Ice Age humans, dating back around 20,000 years. The find enhances our understanding of how prehistoric people adapted to their environment and interacted during the closing phase of the last major ice age, according to Israeli media.

The tools, created between 24,000 and 12,000 years ago, were found in a region that was dramatically different from today. During this period, sea levels were lower due to frozen glaciers and ice caps, and the coast of South Africa was several miles inland. The caves where the tools were discovered were situated near vast plains teeming with large game, such as antelope.

Sara Watson, postdoctoral scientist at the Field Museum’s Negaunee Integrative Research Center and lead author of the study published in the Journal of Paleolithic Archaeology, said, "This is an important insight into how people who lived in this region were living and hunting and responding to their environment." She added, "People living around the last ice age were very similar to people today."

Accessing the caves was no easy task. The team had to climb 75 feet using safety ropes and harnesses. "We had safety ropes and a staircase made of sandbags, and we had to be harnessed in while doing the excavation," Watson explained. Each day, the team climbed back up with equipment, making several trips with heavy 50-pound backpacks.

The excavation revealed thousands of stone tools, including sharp bladelets and cores from which the blades were chipped. By examining the stone flakes, the archaeologists deduced the methods used to make these tools. Watson noted, “The core shows us the particular methods and order of operations that people went through in order to make their tools."

The team found that a specific method of bladelet creation from the Robberg caves resembled a technique discovered hundreds of miles away in Namibia and Lesotho. “The pattern is repeated over and over again, which indicates that it is intentional and shared, rather than just a chance similarity,” Watson said. This discovery suggests that prehistoric people may have shared tool-making knowledge over long distances.

The research team also hypothesized that the site may have been a temporary camp rather than a permanent settlement. Watson concluded, “They may have used the site a little bit differently… it’s possible that this may have been more of a temporary camp.”

This breakthrough offers valuable insights into the lives of our ancient ancestors, revealing the complexity of their interactions with each other and their environment.

By Naila Huseynova