We often imagine our prehistoric ancestors intent on hunting. But even in the distant past the meat was not the only ingredient in the hominid menu. Indeed – with all due respect to the supporters of Paleodieta – in some areas, vegetables, tubers and berries constituted a predominant part of their diet. This was confirmed by a new study published in Science by a team of Chinese anthropologists and paleontologists, which describes the discovery of very rare wooden artefacts dating back to almost 300 thousand years ago, used – according to the researchers – to dig tubers and other sources of carbohydrates from the muddy banks of an ancient lake Fuxian, in the current province of Yunan.
Because the stone tools were missing
The finds are wooden tools obtained by cutting and modeling branches and roots with the use of stone axes. They are particularly important because rarely similar tools built with perishable materials have come intact to the present day. And their discovery therefore fills a void: the stone tools were in fact rarely found in the prehistoric archaeological sites of the Asian continent, at least comparing them to the discoveries made in those contemporary in Africa and Europe.
It was thought that it could be due to a lower craft capacity of the Populations of Asian hominids, but the new discovery shows that sophisticated tools were also produced. Simply, they did it with materials other than those used in our part. A theory known as “Bamboo Hypothesis” and which until now was not supported by particularly solid tests.
Here’s what you ate 300 thousand years ago
The archaeological site where the finds were found, known as Gantangqing, was discovered in the 80s of the twentieth century and houses thousands of wood fragments, animal bones, remains of vegetables, hazelnuts, pine nuts, grapes and kiwi. A mix that suggests that its inhabitants followed a mainly vegetarian diet, in which meat was a rare ingredient: more collectors than hunters, in short.
Initially, dating the site was particularly complex. But recently new dating techniques have made it possible to demonstrate that the manufacturers of the wooden tools found in the area lived about 300 thousand years ago. A period in which the Sapiens had not yet left the African continent. And in which it was the Homo of Denisova (a sort of Asian Neanderthal) to live in those areas.
The 35 “woods” that change human history
The tools described in the new study are 35 and include two large sticks probably used to dig in the ground in search of tubers and roots, several hook tools suitable for cutting and collecting them, and many other smaller tools. According to Chinese researchers, it is probably the geography of the area that has influenced the habits of the Denisovians who lived there: the closest source of workpieces was at least five kilometers and it is therefore likely that building wooden instruments was more convenient. At the same time, the climate and tropical vegetation probably made it easy to survive by relying on the collection of fruit and vegetables. Thus reducing the interest in hunting and consumption of meat of these ancient relatives of our species.
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