Early humans in South Africa used dedicated quarries for stone as long as 220,000 years ago - study

Groundbreaking archaeological research emerging from South Africa is reshaping our understanding of early human behavior, pushing back the timeline for sophisticated resource management. A recent study, published in the prestigious journal Nature Communications, focuses on the Jojosi excavation site in eastern South Africa, uncovering evidence that Paleolithic hunter-gatherers engaged in deliberate quarrying of stone for tool production over 220,000 years ago.

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On our very first visits, both on foot and using drones, we discovered about a dozen sites where perfectly-preserved, unweathered hornfels flakes were visible in eroded sediment, an absolute rarity for an open-air site.

This finding challenges long-held assumptions that early humans haphazardly gathered raw materials. Instead, the analysis of numerous hornfels flakes and production waste at Jojosi suggests a planned, systematic approach. The site itself appears to have been exclusively a quarry, with evidence indicating that cobbles were worked on-site to achieve the desired shapes before being transported elsewhere, likely for final tool manufacturing.

The research team, including scholars from the University of Tübingen, employed luminescence dating techniques to establish the site's extensive period of use, extending back to approximately 110,000 BCE. The meticulous reconstruction of over 350 stone fragments allowed researchers to precisely map the knapping process, revealing the order and methods used to shape the raw material.

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People worked cobbles on site here and knapped the material until they had achieved the desired shape from the rock. Probably to make tools from it later.

This sophisticated level of planning and resource acquisition at such an early stage indicates that early Homo sapiens possessed advanced cognitive abilities and foresight regarding long-term needs. The discovery at Jojosi is not merely about finding stone tools; it's about understanding the strategic thinking and organizational skills of our ancient ancestors, demonstrating a capacity for foresight that was previously underestimated.

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With these 3D puzzles, we were able to see precisely where and how material was chipped off and in what order. Several of these puzzles together then allow us to draw conclusions about the form of the actual end product, before it was taken to another place.